Chapter 19

Adjustment

Sanji was turning the pages of his third cookbook impatiently. It had been freezing cold since the previous evening on the Sunny, and the crew had realized that they had entered the climatic zone of the next island. Quite naturally, his friends had asked their cook for a hot meal for lunch the next day and Sanji had approved without thinking. Indeed, he was used to adapt his preparations according to the weather: a light salad in summer or a steaming gratin in winter supported the bodies as much as the spirits and the blond had always been aware of the comforting power of food beyond its essential energy intakes.

After his reflex though, Sanji had remembered a major drawback to his promise. What was he going to be able to simmer when his taste and smell had completely disappeared for days now? So far, the cook had managed to make meals he knew perfectly and he hadn't done too badly if he was to judge by the delighted smiles of his crew at each meal. Unfortunately, with the end of his stock, he needed to adapt and none of his recipes for soups or classic stews weren't possible anymore. He was going to have to improvise and cook without a safety net. He was going to have to rely on luck to judge the aromas and the taste and it was simply inconceivable to him.

This is why he had been relentlessly going through his books for nearly two hours in the hope of coming across a preparation he hadn't thought of and which he knew by heart. Yet he soon had to face the facts: he was always missing one or other of the necessary ingredients and even if he was lucky enough to remember a recipe that met all the criteria in the next few minutes, he wasn't going to be able to go on like this indefinitely. He would have to make meals with leftovers at one time or another and this prospect gave him cold sweats because unfortunately, Chopper didn't seem to be on the verge of finding the cure for his sickness.

Sanji suddenly closed his book and his eyes. He needed to make up his mind otherwise he wouldn't be able to serve his meal on time. His friends would surely notice, and he didn't want to draw their attention to the food when he couldn't be absolutely certain of its quality. Moreover, after the pitiful show he had offered them, the blond ardently wished to keep a low profile.

Glancing at his ingredients in front of him, the cook decided on his menu: he would serve a pumpkin risotto with nice turkey cutlets and a thick soup with the rest of his vegetables and bacon. For dessert, an apple and cinnamon clafoutis shouldn't be too difficult.

When he stood up to begin his preparations with determination, Sanji couldn't help but bite his lip though. The role of a cook was to ensure the perfect integrity of the food he was serving, but the blond couldn't be sure of this when making his next purchases. Of course, the visual aspect and the touch provided him with important clues, but he always checked that the food had not gone bad by smelling it and even tasting it, if necessary, before using it. So far, he hadn't worried too much because he had chosen their latest foods himself and he trusted his judgment. As the days went by though, food could go bad without him seeing it and he didn't want to take any chances. Keeping foodstuffs perfectly fresh was impossible on a ship and the blond was beginning to grasp all the implications of his problem.

At this moment, Sanji understood that no matter how painful it was for him, he was going to have to rely on his crewmates not to take the risk of poisoning them without knowing it. Someone needed to accompany him to the market and if he was being completely honest, someone also needed to make sure that the next meals were edible in terms of taste but also and above all, in terms of quality. The risk of a fish or contaminated meat was never to be excluded despite the best of packaging and this negligence could prove to be very dangerous. They were a world-famous crew that the strongest Marines and pirates in the world were chasing now. They couldn't afford to get sick and not be able to defend themselves because of rotten food.

His resolution taken, Sanji reviewed his possibilities while expertly cutting his pieces of pumpkin whereas his vegetable broth was already simmering on the fire. That Nami or Robin serve as his guinea pigs was unthinkable and he also immediately eliminated Luffy whose stomach was unable to offer him any discernment regarding food. He had doubts about Franky's taste buds which were probably altered by his heavy use of cola and Sanji wasn't sure he could trust Brook either. After all, the musician was dead and he didn't know how his olfactory and taste system worked since he no longer had any organs…

Chopper was the most obvious choice when it came to food quality thanks to his keen sense of smell, and the cook decided he would ask him to accompany him to the market on their port of call. Yet the little reindeer was probably less reliable about the taste of his preparations. Their ship's doctor was kind and accommodating by nature, so he would have a hard time being objective. Usopp could be a good candidate but he also tended to be more greedy than selective. As for Jinbei, his profile was interesting but the blond wondered if he wouldn't settle for a minimalist opinion regarding their meals. Indeed, the Fish-Man was never demanding and everything seemed to suit him. Sanji wasn't sure that his remarks would be satisfying given the rigor he wanted to continue to bring to his dishes despite his handicap then. There was still Zoro but…

The cook sighed. Unlike his other crewmates, Zoro constantly criticized his food and Sanji regularly wondered if the swordsman actually disapproved of his creations or belittled them to provoke him. Making him the inspector of his cooking would be a painful blow to his ego and he didn't want the fencer to spend his time sniggering and badmouthing his dishes, even if he was right given the cook's condition. Could Sanji trust his judgment? Zoro had the advantage of being uncompromising but if he intentionally belittled his dish, the blond would have no way of knowing. Would the swordsman use this weakness for revenge? They weren't on the best of terms currently and even compared to their usual tumultuous relationship, a world of mistrust and suspicion had settled between them.

As Sanji started the fire under his pot of pumpkin to melt it with a knob of butter, the door opened precisely on the swordsman who went to the bottle of water left for him on the table. Since the day before, Zoro had been taking advantage of the intense cold to perfect his resistance and he trained outside without stopping while the rest of the crew was looking for the slightest bit of heat inside the Sunny.

The swordsman was obviously not sparing his efforts and his forehead was beading with sweat despite the biting cold. He grabbed his bottle without a word and Sanji kept his eyes fixed on his own task. He could already hear the footsteps of the fencer moving toward the door again and he grabbed his spices to flavor his dish. It was only when pouring them over his preparation that he froze.

"You got a minute?"

Zoro stopped in front of the door, his eyebrows furrowed and the neck of his bottle in his mouth. He turned towards the figure of the blond who had his back to him before his stove, wondering if he hadn't been dreaming. Lost in his thoughts, he could have imagined it. After all, why would the cook talk to him? Yet his uncertainty faded when the blond's voice was heard clearly above the crackling of his preparations this time, although lower.

"Never mind, I'll manage. I'll ask Usopp."

The fencer lowered his bottle and took a step in his direction. "What do you need?"

The cook's shoulders instantly tensed at those words and Zoro froze again, suspicious.

"I don't need… I just wanna…" Sanji finally shook his head before taking a deep breath, his eyes still fixed on his pans. "If you can… taste the pumpkin and tell me what you think about it."

"Oh."

"It's just to be sure, it's not really essential. I'm sure of its freshness but about the taste, in case the broth isn't strong enough to temper the sugar in the pumpkin… Sweetness varies from one vegetable to the next and-"

"Relax, cook. I'll do it."

The swordsman approached and placed his bottle on the table as he passed. As soon as he reached him, Sanji pointed to his saucepan and handed him a fork, visibly embarrassed. Zoro ignored his shifty eyes and grabbed some pumpkin before blowing and then bringing it to his lips. At that moment, the blond couldn't help but turn his attention to him and gaze anxiously at the fencer who focused on the flavors. Zoro frowned then.

"Too much curry? I probably should have added more paprika to-"

"I don't think so, but it's sweet. It lacks salt I guess."

"Oh. No, the broth should make up for that. But it's true that you can't really judge if you only taste the pumpkin when I added spices so that the rice isn't drowned out by the other aromas…"

In doing so, Sanji grabbed a small bowl from the cupboard facing him and put a piece of pumpkin in it, a spoonful of the white rice he had already cooked and some broth. He then handed it to the swordsman who carefully took a bite from the bowl before nodding as he swallowed.

"It's fine. There's still a salty-sweet taste but it's less pronounced."

"What about spices?"

"Yeah, I can taste them."

"Which ones? If one sticks out more than the other, I need to adjust."

"Uh…" Zoro stared at his bowl, slightly confused. He was no specialist in spices and although he liked fragrant dishes, he had never wondered if he knew how to tell them apart. "Curry…"

"Yes, it's the most obvious. Do you taste paprika? And turmeric?"

"Yeah… Paprika, I think."

Sanji stared at him for a moment and Zoro shook his head, setting his bowl back on the counter. "It'll be fine, cook, no need to worry about it."

"Don't!"

The fencer raised an eyebrow and beside him, Sanji ran a nervous hand through his hair before glaring at his preparation, his face tense. In the end, his hands tightened on his counter and Zoro eyed him curiously.

"I want it to be perfect or at least, as much as possible… I don't wanna settle for just any dish. I'm a chef and what's happening to me is no excuse."

The blond straightened up slightly then, but he didn't try to make eye contact with the swordsman and he continued, his teeth clenched.

"I know you must be mad at me for everything that happened and believe me, I'd have preferred to ask anyone else but… you're probably the one who'll be the most objective about my cooking and that's what matters most to me. I don't want special treatment; this situation is painful enough as it is."

Zoro watched his crewmate for a long time. Sanji's white knuckles were twitching convulsively near his preparation. The fencer could easily imagine how much it must have cost the cook to ask him for help and he decided not to take advantage of it despite his first impulse. Because Sanji was right. The swordsman felt a particularly strong defiance towards the cook and the accumulation of things unsaid between them accentuated his anger. The blond had had the humility to admit his helplessness when it was his primary function on the Sunny though and Zoro couldn't ignore it. Just like Chopper had told him, Sanji was probably trying to move on.

"All right." He glanced at the galley, then back to the trembling figure of the blond "To tell you what spices stand out, I need to know how they taste on their own. I don't know enough about them when they're mixed together."

Sanji relaxed imperceptibly beside him and he took a short breath as his muscles relaxed. "I understand, uh… Wait, I'll fix that."

The cook opened several other cupboards and took out two jars of spices, pouring a small amount into tiny ramekins. He then handed them to the fencer who grabbed the first to smell it.

"It's paprika," the blond explained, "The taste isn't spicy but it's aromatic. You can use it everywhere and with other spices to sublimate a dish."

"Uh-huh."

Zoro dipped the tip of his fork into the ramekin, aware of the strong taste of any spice on its own. The taste was totally different when they were mixed in a preparation but as he had told the cook, he first had to learn to recognize them in order to judge their good quantity.

"Not so good," he mumbled after putting down his fork.

"It's not the most fragrant," his crewmate admitted. The swordsman grabbed the other pot and Sanji nodded. "Turmeric is one of the components of curry. It has a peppery but not spicy taste."

"Why not put only curry?" The fencer grumbled, tasting carefully.

"Curry is a mixture of several varieties of spices. Depending on the concentrations, it's more or less fragrant. I used a mild curry for this dish."

"I like curry," the swordsman muttered again, "Turmeric ain't bad but… it's kind of bland."

"Okay, try to imagine I'm gonna grill turkey cutlets with rice and pumpkin. The white meat is simple and the flavors must stand out clearly. Taste it again."

Sanji handed him the previous bowl and Zoro concentrated. He took a bite and closed his eyes to focus on the sensations. The pumpkin was melting in his mouth and in opposition, the rice was firm but tasty. The curry toned down the sweetness with the vegetable broth, but taking into account the meat the cook would add, Zoro wasn't sure it was enough.

"It needs more turmeric, I think," he said after a while. "The mixture ain't that bad but if you want contrast with the meat, it's not enough."

Zoro put his bowl down and Sanji considered his answer. He grabbed the turmeric and his pepper mill as well then. "I'm gonna accentuate the taste with black pepper and coarse salt when cooking the turkey. The grilling reveals the aromas of the meat and the dish will remain simple in this way. I don't wanna multiply the flavors and create confusion…"

With these words, the blond busied himself adjusting his seasoning then taking his meat out of the fridge and Zoro walked away in the direction of his bottle. He drank a long sip to rinse his mouth before glancing at his companion who was grabbing his knives.

"Do you want me to taste something else?"

"Hmm? Oh no, it'll be fine. I'm gonna make an apple pie for dessert, that won't be a problem."

The fencer nodded and headed for the door, flustered without really knowing why. As he crossed the threshold, Sanji's voice rang out again, "Uh, thank you."

From his hesitation, Zoro understood that he wasn't the only one embarrassed by the situation and he groaned in return before hurrying out of the room to resume his training.

Chopper had agreed to go to the market with the crew's cook to select their next purchases and the two friends had stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables as well as appetizing meats. Despite his initial embarrassment, the blond had finally relaxed and he was now enjoying the moment almost quietly while the little reindeer struggled to choose the best ingredients on his advice.

The lunch had been a great success a few hours earlier and Zoro hadn't opened his mouth to reveal that part of it belonged to him. No one had said anything either when Sanji had gently asked their doctor to come with him shopping, but their smiles and happy faces as the crew parted on the snow-covered port had warmed his heart as much as they had awakened his guilt. Predictably his crewmates were more than patient and understanding, which he couldn't help but question. After all he had kept from them, he had indeed expected a few resentful looks or at least some general resentment but even Nami had seemed sincerely pleased and she had entrusted him with a generous sum that would enable the crew to treat themselves.

Now Sanji eyed the creamery, undecided. The choice was vast and he didn't know most of the cheeses, but he couldn't trust Chopper's taste to select one over another. The recipes that this kind of ingredient inspired him depended only on the flavor that the cook managed to imagine and without being able to test them, no association could come to him. So he just chose an assortment for his cheese platter and quickly moved on to the next merchant in the hope of chasing away the unpleasant sensation that always followed him whenever he found that his art was slipping away from him.

The cold was still biting and he thrust his hands into his pockets while spotting a stall full of olives, tapenades, anchoïades and other candied peppers and garlic. Enticed, he was about to call out to Chopper when a loud noise was heard against the other side of the stone wall that surrounded the market place. Passers-by and shopkeepers looked up at the source of the impact and a second tremor sounded moments later, shaking the entire wall.

Chopper and Sanji instantly shared a look. Nami had warned the crew that several Marine barracks were stationed on this fortified winter island, so caution was in order. Before the two crewmates had time to react though, the name of a characteristic attack rose in the air.

"Gum-Gum Bullet!"

Part of the wall literally shattered, triggering bewilderment among the people in the square, who recoiled in terror. A figure emerged from the rubble then and Sanji winced as he recognized a Commodore's long coat. He certainly wasn't too high-ranking, but the fact that he was fighting Luffy only meant one thing: the crew needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

The blond immediately gathered his bags and while the locals commented on the event, trying somehow to approach, another attack from the straw hat boy sounded. The two friends made their way to the exit and as they reached it, they saw Robin and Nami in their long winter coats coming to join them from the other side of the market where jewelry designers were.

"It had to happen eventually," the navigator sighed, urging her crewmates to hurry as they headed towards the port, "I just hope that Franky and Zoro had time to find some cola…"

"The Marine don't seem excessively powerful but they're quite numerous," Robin told them, using one of her eyes from the crumbling wall where the officers aimed at their captain.

"Usopp's not well!" Chopper got alarmed, pointing to the sniper who was gesticulating alongside Jinbei a little further.

"Sounds serious," the cook agreed, frowning.

Indeed, the Fish-Man seemed annoyed too and he tried to get his captain's attention but the latter ignored him, busy beating the Marines around him.

"Let's go," Nami decided as her crewmates quickly followed.

Seeing their friends running towards them, Usopp rushed and almost fell over when he slipped on a patch of ice when he reached them. "There's a Vice-Admiral in another barracks! If he hears this noise, he'll alert the whole World Government to give us chase!"

"Come on!" The redhead fumed, "What did that idiot do now?!"

"It's not really his fault," Jinbei explained, joining them in turn. "Officers demanded their location tax from merchants and they tried to extort them by asking much more than the agreed price under threat of evicting them from the island. Luffy wanted to intervene."

"We should cut communications up there!" The sniper showed them, pointing to the fortified tower a few hundred meters away. "I took care of the panels that connect the Den-Den Mushi here to prevent the other barracks from being notified, but officers will end up running directly to get reinforcements!"

"Alright, we need to act quickly," Nami said. "Robin, can you find Zoro and Franky and tell them about the situation? I think they're across town."

"No problem," her friend assured.

"Sanji-kun, Jinbei, I'm counting on you to knock out all the Marines still standing. They mustn't see the direction the Sunny is gonna take. Usopp, you're cutting the tower communications. Chopper and I are taking care of bringing the groceries back and preparing the ship with Brook."

"This tower is probably guarded, I'm gonna have trouble doing everything," the sniper worried. "I risk being noticed even more and the signal will be transmitted immediately then…"

Nami paused at those words, annoyed. "You're right, it's a delicate operation. At the slightest alert, all the barracks will be informed and this Vice-Admiral in stride."

"N-Nami-san, if… Well, if everyone agrees, I could take care of it…" All eyes of his crewmates turned to the cook and he swallowed. "It'll be easier for me to keep a low profile," he added softly.

The navigator stared at him for a moment before biting her lip. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't have a problem with it but…"

"I have no contraindications concerning the fact that Sanji uses the Germa outfit," Chopper chimed in. "Besides, if he thinks it can help him, I think he should be trusted."

"All right…"

The proposal was adopted and Usopp joined Jinbei who was already getting rid of their enemies. Robin quickly melted into the streets of the city and Sanji gave a grateful smile to the little doctor who looked back at him.

"Don't overdo it. If you have any trouble, come back to the Sunny immediately and we'll figure it out. Better to be spotted by the Marines and defend ourselves together than to be captured alone."

"I promise, Chopper. You can count on me."

The redhead's gaze caught the eyes of the blond in turn and he nodded firmly to reassure her. A second later, the navigator and the reindeer ran towards the Sunny with their purchases while their crewmate rushed towards the tower.

Sanji tries to find some balance and his crewmates also try to accompany him… Each one with his possibilities and personality!