Chapter 27

Nice and slow

Sanji took a slow breath to stay focused and then stared at the remaining ingredients he had placed in front of him on the galley table. It was the crew's first meal since the Sunny had set sail a few hours earlier, and this previously ordinary act was a challenge today. Indeed, during the last six days, Sanji had relied heavily on the island's preparations but now he couldn't do so.

At first, it had been a way to guarantee fresh and tasty products to his friends, especially since everyone had praised the quality of the food from the local caterers. This seemingly ordinary break had cost the blond the rest of his confidence in his abilities though, and now that he was once again responsible for making three meals a day, Sanji realized he really had a long way to go.

Fortunately, making all these skewers a few days earlier had shown him that he could still do it, even if he doubted his every move. Being forced to get back to work had the same effect on him: apprehension and indecision tinged all his actions, but he also knew that without this obligation, he would have found another way to shirk and buy some more time.

Sanji glanced at the swordsman standing by the stove. Zoro was suspiciously studying the basil chili paste he needed to add to the chicken pieces and noodles that the blond had already cooked. Although the dish was simple to make, the condiments were not an option to liven it up and the cook had put Zoro in charge of the sauce out of necessity. For his part, he had already made the tuna tataki that he would serve as a starter and he only had the coconut pearls left that would be the dessert. Simple recipes that didn't require him to innovate or adjust his ingredients since he had made sure he had them all.

Zoro came to the galley every day since he had helped Sanji make the skewers. A tacit agreement had settled between the two crewmates without either of them ever speaking about it and even if he didn't admit it, the blond was greatly relieved. Sometimes, the presence of the swordsman wasn't necessary and Zoro disappeared after a few minutes. This had been the case when the cook had used preparations from the island to add them to his own accompaniments for example. During these meals, Sanji had cooked in separate dishes and let the crew mix what they wanted directly on their plates. Other times, Sanji absolutely needed a taster to be sure of the seasoning of his recipes though.

Sometimes, he simply needed to know Zoro was in the room to get started or distract him. The casual conversations or the disconcerting remarks of the swordsman about cooking allowed his mind not to focus on his situation and thus, to soothe his nervousness. The cook wasn't even sure that his crewmate noticed it but this collaboration, even if it remained superficial in terms of competence, was good for him.

This was especially true today. Indeed, since daybreak, the cook had felt nervous to the point that Zoro himself had decided on the menu, tired of seeing the blond hesitate between all his possibilities. Sanji had been annoyed by his choice because the main course required skillful combinations of sauces and condiments. Yet Zoro hadn't budged and the blond had finally given in since he didn't know what else to cook. The fencer had smirked but now he probably regretted it as he grimaced after tasting the chili paste directly.

Sanji couldn't stop a smile from stretching his lips when he saw him, but he set about measuring the right amount of tapioca for his coconut pearls without a word.

"This stuff is disgusting, cook. It ain't gonna work."

The blond looked up at the swordsman who was still staring at the chili paste. "It's not meant to be eaten on its own, mosshead. You need to dilute and cook it for a few minutes with other foods so you can really taste the aromas."

"But how can I know how much to use if I don't have an idea of the taste beforehand?" The fencer insisted, annoyed. "We do that for the spices."

"Take a few pieces of chicken and pour a tiny bit of it with a spoonful of water; it'll be Chopper's plate. He doesn't like it when it's very spicy and that'll let you know the flavor. Then you can do the plates for Nami-san, Usopp, Luffy, Jinbei and you. You like it when it's spicy but not excessively. In the end, you can use all you have left for Franky, Brook and Robin-chan."

"It'll take time," the swordsman noted.

"It's the recipe you chose," his crewmate pointed out.

"Yeah, well if I had known, I wouldn't have."

"Welcome to the world of cooking."

Zoro sighed before grabbing the first pieces of cooked chicken from the plate next to him and throwing them into the pan. "What about you?"

The cook looked up again from his preparation. "What do you mean?"

"What category are you in? Chopper, Luffy or Robin?"

"Oh. Between Luffy and Robin-chan actually. But that doesn't really matter, I can't taste anything," he reminded him.

"I'll do as for Luffy, it's easier."

Sanji shrugged and began pouring the sugar over the tapioca before mixing them. They worked in silence for a while until the blond spoke again.

"You know that…" The fencer glanced behind him and saw the cook biting his lip. "You know you don't have to stay, right?"

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at these words, leaving his utensils to turn fully towards his crewmate. "Why? You wanna do it alone?"

"It's not that, but… I know your vocation is not to prepare food for the crew and you usually spend your time training or sleeping. Now you're locked up here for half your days and I don't wanna disrupt your schedule or whatever so that you blame me afterwards," the cook muttered, avoiding his gaze and clearly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about that, cook. I don't particularly like food but it could be useful if I'm stranded somewhere. When I was a pirate hunter, I ate some really weird things."

"Like what?" The blond raised his head, curious, and leaning against the worktop, his crewmate shrugged. "I didn't know that rice water had to heat up to cook it so I waited but it was always hard. My meat was always burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. The only seasoning I knew was salt. And the first time I ate a boiled egg was on the Merry."

Sanji paused to stare at him. "No one taught you how to cook before you left the East Blue?" He asked, stunned.

"Kôshirô provided me with all my meals at the dojo and I never thought it'd be hard to do once I was alone."

"It was rather dangerous," the blond said, "Poisoning can happen quickly and then, what would you have done? 'The future best swordsman in the world dies from indigestion'? It's rather lame."

"I managed," his crewmate brushed off.

"That certainly sounds like you," the cook muttered while grabbing his coconut powder. "And it all makes sense why you wash down all your meals with so much alcohol now."

"It helped to get rid of the taste and it was good," the swordsman approved.

"I guess…" Sanji shook his head before grabbing a fork to whisk his mixture again.

"What about you? What's your excuse for not eating?"

The blond looked up, surprised. "What you mean?"

"You've been skin and bones ever since this whole thing, cook. I've never seen you eat much when you serve us but I'm sure you've never been so skinny."

Sanji glanced at his arms and chest reflexively. It was true that his clothes had been a little looser around his body in the last few days but he hadn't paid too much attention to it. He made a point of eating at least a bit despite his situation, but very often his stomach was so knotted that he stopped after three or four mouthfuls.

"I have lost my sense of taste and smell. Everything I eat tastes exactly the same, namely tasteless and pointless."

"You still need to eat."

"That's what I'm doing, mosshead."

"Clearly not enough."

"Look, I admit it's not my priority right now but-"

Suddenly, Zoro froze in front of him and Sanji frowned. "What?"

"Dammit!"

The fencer turned around quickly and the blond understood the problem when he saw his crewmate cut the fire under the frying pan before grabbing it to try to save the pieces of chicken. The cook immediately felt anger flare. "You fucking burnt the food, you damn mosshead! You're supposed to help me, not ruin everything!"

"It ain't my fault, you distracted me! You think I'm used to doing that?! Even if you don't smell burnt, aren't you supposed to have some sort of sixth sense for cooking time or something?!"

"A sixth sense? What do you think we are? Magicians?! Being a chef is about practice and organization above all!"

"Still, you could have warned me. This thing is even more disgusting now," the swordsman grumbled after dipping his finger into the sauce with a wince.

"Get out of the way, you moron."

The blond jostled him to take his spot and added a spoonful of cream that he had fetched from the fridge. He swirled the pan vigorously to spread the cream and it diluted the chili paste which had completely dried due to lack of water to form thick, ugly and far too spicy crusts around the chicken. The meat sizzled because of the temperature contrast but after a few moments, thanks to the continuous movement, the crust diluted in the cream and took on a beautiful bronze color. Sanji placed the pan back on the stove sharply then, making sure to set the burner to the lowest position.

"This'll be your share, mosshead and if you screw up the next ones, you'll eat every last one of them even if chili is the only thing your taste buds will taste for the rest of your life."

The cook went back to the table to finish his dessert and Zoro didn't reply. He just kept his eyes fixed on the pan as he placed the new pieces of chicken on it.

"Is the table set up correctly, Sanji? I tried to put beach umbrellas but I don't know which way the sun will turn…"

The blond put his crockery on the table set up on the deck of the Sunny before taking a few steps back to observe the sun. "Put them a little further to the left. The meal will be ready in an hour, but the shade of the first floor won't be enough to reach us."

The sniper shifted the parasols according to the cook's instructions and while the latter arranged his cutlery, Nami went down the stairs with the crew's musician.

"Hey, Sanji-kun, perfect timing," she said when she saw him.

"What can I do for you Nami-san?" The blond asked immediately.

"We're sailing close to an atoll and there seem to be lots of fish here."

"An atoll?" His friend wondered, "Here?"

"The sea became suddenly warm and we entered tropical currents," the redhead confirmed, "The Grand Line is just as unusual," she added with a shrug.

"Would you like me to send the boys fishing? The aquarium isn't empty but if we have the opportunity to make some stock, we shouldn't neglect it," he suggested.

"I was rather counting on your expertise to recognize the different species because I wanna trace the contours of the lagoon but my maps will be more precise if I include its particularities. Knowledge of wildlife is an essential point."

"There are hundreds of them in all shapes and colors!" Brook gushed.

"When do you want me to go, Nami-san?" The cook asked her, glancing at his watch.

"We're in no hurry, Jinbei stopped the Sunny so that we could observe them. I thought we could have lunch here so there's no rush. It's a truly magnificent scene."

"Oh…"

The young woman didn't miss the blond's look towards the back of the ship and she shared a look with the skeleton and the sniper. "Tell you what, Sanji-kun, why don't you let Zoro watch the end of the cooking while you take a look? That way we can discuss it at mealtime."

"Hm, the mosshead isn't very reliable about it," the cook grimaced, remembering the incident some time earlier.

"I can keep him company!" The musician offered. "I was planning to ask him for information on a sword that I saw during our last call!"

"Ah, I'm sure he'll be happy. He doesn't spend as much time training with all that…"

"It's settled, Brook will watch Zoro and you can go swimming straight away," the navigator said then.

"Swimming?" The blond repeated, surprised.

"Of course, how do you expect to observe them otherwise? You need to be as close as possible!"

"But if Jinbei came close with the Sunny, I should be able to recognize them even from the deck…"

"No, there are too many and you'll see them better if you swim directly with them," Nami decided.

"As you wish, Nami-san."

The cook obediently turned on his heels to get changed and Nami waited until he was gone to speak again.

"Okay, everything is ready. Jinbei took us exactly where we needed and this merchant wasn't lying, the place looks like a huge lagoon. It's lucky they were selling Eternal Pose for this destination!"

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Usopp glanced at the cabin door, which had closed.

"Probably not, he's way too preoccupied. He'd usually have noticed I wasn't following the direction of the Log-Pose and he'd have asked why."

"Our friend really needs to think about something other than his worries," Brook noted.

"Luffy has agreed for this detour so we better make it count," the navigator approved. "Is the table ready?" She asked then, turning to the sniper.

"We were about to finish," he showed her, "They worked well with Zoro and the dishes can be served within an hour."

"It's ideal. Brook, you're not letting Zoro out of your sight. If something happens to the food, all our effort will have been wasted because Sanji-kun will inevitably blame himself."

"You can count on me!" The musician assured her.

"Robin and I take care of channeling Luffy so that he doesn't jump into the water when he sees the lagoon. Sanji-kun needs some quiet time and Chopper said swimming is the best way to relax him. Usopp, everything must be ready by the time he returns."

"No problem, there's not much left to do."

"Everybody to their posts then!"

Sanji's eyes widened when he discovered the turquoise waters stretching out in front of him at the stern of the Sunny. As the navigator had said, it was a typical atoll of the tropical oceans. It consisted of a barrier reef surrounding several islets formed by accumulation of sand. Inside, the ocean shone under the rays of the sun and dozens of multicolored fish swam peacefully.

The cook swallowed. It felt like forever since he had observed the sea in all its splendor rather than its rough waters and this vision in particular was heavenly. A few palm trees moved lazily to the rhythm of the wind and below, the white sand sparkled between shoots of green grass and shards of shells whose colors rivaled those of the rainbow.

Without waiting, the blond jumped into the ocean near the Sunny then carefully crossed the coral reef so as not to damage it. He knew that an hour would never be enough for him to explore everything.

Sanji shivered because of the wind on his barely dry skin despite the bright sun and he rushed down the Sunny's stairs to join his friends. Totally absorbed by his discoveries, he had lost track of time and no one had called him even though the meal was probably ready for a while now. Brook and Zoro were just putting down the last plates of tuna tataki and when he saw him, Luffy smiled broadly, his cutlery banging on the table.

"Sanji! You're right on time!"

"I'm sorry, it took me a little longer than expected…"

"Don't worry, everything was ready. We just helped ourselves," the little reindeer showed him.

"How is the lagoon?" Usopp asked him, grabbing his napkin.

"Amazing. I have rarely seen so many fish gathered in such a small space. I think explorers added species as they traveled…"

Because all his friends were now seated around the table, the blond decided to heat up the main course in anticipation and he was about to head towards the galley when Nami's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Sit down, Sanji-kun. You rarely eat with us."

"But…"

Robin's hand also pressed on his shoulder and the cook sat between the two women of the crew, his cheeks red.

"Tell me about this atoll," the navigator continued as if nothing had happened. "What type of fish did you see?"

"Oh, dozens, Nami-san! Parrotfish, surgeonfish, red mullets… I even saw a hawksbill turtle!"

"Are these fish tasty?" His captain inquired, sinking his teeth into his starter.

"They're mainly tropical fish but there are some edible species," the blond remembered.

"Cool!"

"Have you seen clown fish?" Franky asked, pouring himself a large glass of cola, "These are my favorites!"

"There are plenty! They're mostly hidden in their anemones but as I approached slowly, I was able to observe them really closely. It's always impressive to think they have succeeded in making this plant, which is usually deadly for other species, a secured habitat! They're certainly some of the most incredible fish in the ocean!"

"Are there any dangerous species?" Usopp wanted to know, worried.

"I saw a few morays but they're shy, they don't come near." The blond turned to the crew's helmsman to his right then. "I think I saw a porcupine fish but it was a bluish color; I've never seen one like it. Do you know it?"

"I don't think I've ever encountered one, but the sea is still largely unknown territory, even for Fish Men."

"The ocean is a perpetual adventure!" The musician rejoiced.

"It's fascinating," the blond agreed. "I'd like to go back there this afternoon if you don't mind, Nami-san," he then asked the navigator who was finishing her share. "I found most species but I prefer to be sure."

"Sure, I was thinking about taking my time to draw anyway," the redhead answered.

A real smile lit up his friend at these words and he finally grabbed his fork to pick from his starter. After a few minutes, Luffy demanded the rest of the meal and Sanji was about to get up when Nami stopped him again.

"Tell me more about the lagoon, Zoro and Brook can serve. About shells, are there any that I could take? Usopp showed me several models and I'd like to collect some to sell them. It seems that they're traded quite well depending on their shapes and colors."

"There are some pretty big ones," the blond remembered while the swordsman and the sniper gathered the empty plates, "I could bring you some if you want!"

"Please. We can also paint them to make decorations for the Sunny."

"It'd look really beautiful in the aquarium!" Chopper got enthused.

"It might be nice," Franky admitted.

As the crew chatted about their new opportunities, Zoro and Brook gave their plates of chicken noodles to their friends. The swordsman finished with that of the blond and Sanji stared at him, uncomfortable. He tried to get up then.

"I'll eat later, I have to get the desserts out…"

"You're eating now, cook," the voice of the fencer growled while he sat down again. "Your desserts are ready; Brook took care of them."

The skeleton nodded elegantly to confirm and the cook slowly sat back down in turn, nervousness stiffening his entire body. He couldn't swallow another mouthful, the few pieces of tataki he had eaten still in the back of his throat. What if he had made a mistake with the quantities of the meat? The sauce wouldn't be suitable then and no one would enjoy their dish. Zoro could only follow his instructions and he didn't know if what he tasted was right or wrong. Sanji had made a mistake in letting the mosshead choose a meal so dependent on different seasonings…

"The dish is delicious."

Robin's voice brought him out of his panicked thoughts and he saw the archaeologist bring another mouthful to her lips.

"It's super spicy!" The cyborg approved in turn, giving the cook a thumbs up. "Perfect, as usual!"

"Mine is exactly how I like it!" The little reindeer said with delight.

Sanji gave them a tight smile. "Well, it seems that you didn't do too badly, mosshead…"

"I found one of your papers where you noted precisely how much to serve to each person," the swordsman informed him.

"You did? Where?" He wondered.

"In one of your drawers where there are lots of recipes with hearts and flowers."

"Wh-What?! What were you looking for in the girls' drawer?!"

"The corkscrew. Besides, you told me to take dry red wine but you didn't specify which bottles so I took the first ones I found."

The fencer showed him the ones he had selected and the blond's eyes bulged. "These are bottles that are worth more than a thousand berries each!"

"Oh. That's why they weren't bad even though it's red wine," the swordsman approved, removing the one he already had in his mouth to examine it.

"I was saving them for a special occasion!" His crewmate fumed, glaring at him.

"It is a special occasion, Sanji-kun, it's been a long time since we've seen you so happy," the redhead intervened while enjoying her plate.

"Oh, I-I… It's thanks to you, Nami-san," the blond stammered, caught off guard.

"You're not wrong so all the more reason to enjoy it. Zoro will pay for these bottles out of his own pocket, don't worry. I'll add it to his debt personally."

"Hey, you've got some nerve, witch!" The man got indignant at the other end of the table, "You enjoy it too!" He added, pointing to her full glass.

As the navigator answered back, Luffy took the opportunity to steal the share of his first mate who was too busy shouting to notice and Chopper did the same to have fun, stealing his bread. In no time, the swordsman had nothing left to eat and he stared at his now empty plate, wide-eyed.

Seeing him, the table burst into laughter and Sanji found himself feeling the joy of his friends to the depths of his soul. A unique sensation of softness and warmth enveloped him before a feeling of well-being, whose existence he had even forgotten, slowly spread within him, from the pit of his stomach to the tips of his fingers still frozen by his swim. The cook then realized that it had indeed been a long time since he had felt such peace and tears welled up in his eyes. His hand tightened on the tablecloth next to his still full plate and Robin's hand naturally rested on his in a soothing gesture.

"Welcome back, dear cook."

In the next chapter, we'll explore more of this lagoon with our favorite cook…and Zoro!