This is the 3rd chapter. I don't own the series of One Piece.
Recipe Handed Down!
Somewhere at sea
After Nami was able to finish making some maps in between the Grand Line, Little Garden, Drum Kingdom, and Alabasta, she decided to give the young Dragoon a break for the navigation while looking through a Log Pose and keeping her crew in line, especially Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. Robin even tried to get the young Dragoon to open up to her, but he's still given her a cold shoulder while keeping his distance. However, Ventus remembered the discussion with Nami and Zoro about Robin, which he knows that they're right. He might try to give Robin a chance, but it won't mean that she's fully trusted.
Now at the kitchen, Sanji was cooking breakfast by making a stew while Ventus' reading a book after given the cook a helping hand since he's asking the young Dragoon some help. Sanji then uses the ladle by pouring the broth on the bowl and savor it, which he's satisfied of the flavor.
"Simmered in 3 nights and 2 days to take off the bitter edge. Nami and Robin, my dears, just you wait, this is a very special breakfast for 2 very beautiful ladies~!" Sanji muttered happily, much to the young Dragoon's annoyance.
However, the entire area of the sea is covered in thick fog and the Straw Hat pirates are having a hard time looking for the island, the enemy pirates, or the Marines coming after them. Usopp was at the crow's nest, looking through his goggles to find an island, but he couldn't see because of the fog.
"Damn, this fog is too thick to see through! I can't tell which right in front of us!" Usopp said, turns to Luffy, who's trying to look through the fog while sitting on the top of the figurehead. "Luffy, you see anything?"
Luffy didn't respond because he's also having a hard time looking through the fog with a hum. Usopp kept looking and notice something their way.
"Wait a second, I think I can see something now." Usopp states, but only seeing the back of the Marine ship as he turns to his crew. "Hey, guys! There's a giant ship right in front of us!"
"Sanji, Ventus, get to the helm! Turn port to starboard now!" Nami ordered, turns to the room.
Ventus replied by turning the helm to starboard when Sanji turns to her with hearts in his eyes and gone goo-goo eyes.
"Ooohhhh~! Nami, I made something just for you~!" Sanji said, but his jaws dropped with white eyes and shark-like teeth when he saw the Marine ship as he helps Ventus turned the ship.
"Uh oh! This is bad, you guys! Real bad!" Usopp warned them. "We're surrounded by the Marines, aren't we?!"
"It sure looks like it, and many of them were inside of the Marine ships!" Ventus replied, sniffing the air. "And it's seems we're not the only ones having a hard time going through this fog."
"Awesome!" Luffy said, excited.
"Think about it though, the Marines must be having just as hard a time with this fog as we are." Nami points out.
"Exactly, it's probably best for us to escape under the cover of the fog." Robin suggested.
"Yeah, you're right." Nami nods with an agreement. "We'll keep heading forward. Everyone, keep quiet. Especially you, Luffy."
"Right!" Luffy replied.
Sanji then notices something at one of the Marine ship, looked up and saw a child at the deck.
"Hey, Nami." Sanji called her, earned her attention. "Was that a kid standing up there?"
She then turns and noticed a kid standing next on the rail while looking at the foggy sky with the pot next to him.
He's a short boy with untidy orange hair, black eyebrows, and glasses. His outfit is a standard Marine kitchen uniform and a small toque, befitting his status as apprentice cook.
"A little kid? What is he doing up there?" Nami asks in confusion when Sanji and Ventus walk towards her.
The young apprentice cook was wondering at the foggy sky, but he heard a sound when he looks down and noticed the Going Merry sailing, making him panicked when he saw the Jolly Roger and the skull on the sail. He flails his arms frantically, but accidentally tipped over the pot towards the sea along with him.
"Hold on!" Sanji said, about to save the boy.
"Please, allow me." Robin offers, crossing her arms while using her Devil Fruit power, sprouting her arm limb from the ship and grabs him.
Just as they're able to get the boy inside of the Going Merry, the Straw Hats decided to drop the anchor to stop after going through the ships while keeping distance from the Marines. The boy groans and opened his eyes, noticed that he's inside of the room and Chopper holding a tube of smelling salts.
"He's coming around." Chopper informed his crew. "The smelling salt seem to be working."
The boy gasp of air, sat up and then turns to the Straw Hats.
"Where, am I?" The boy asks.
"Well, kid, you've ended up on board of the ship of the Straw Hat pirates." Usopp answered bluntly, placing his hands on his waist.
"You're...pirates?!" He exclaims.
"Sure are." Luffy answered simply.
"Don't you remember? A little while ago, you fell overboard off of the Marine ship." Nami told him.
The boy then realized that he's actually on a pirate ship, but didn't know that the Straw Hats saved him.
"You stay back!" The boy warned them with a snarl. "You're planning an attack against the Marines, aren't you?!"
"Pretty ungrateful, considering we rescued him." Usopp said with a glare.
"You can't blame him, he's a Marine after all." Robin points out when Sanji walk towards him, placing a tray down next to the boy that has a bowl of soup.
"Here, eat something." Sanji offered.
"Keep it! I don't need help from pirates!" He remarked, turns away when Sanji chuckled.
"You have no interest in eating something prepared by a chef in a pirate ship, huh?" Sanji said with a smirk. "You know, it's not like it's poisoned or anything. Give it a try, you'll settle down once you have something in your stomach."
The boy then noticed a soup next to him, which it looks amazing. He then decided to try it by grabbing a bowl, take the spoonful and savor the flavor. The boy was amazed of the flavor as he then began eating the soup, making the Straw Hats smiled.
"Thanks, that was great." He said, finished his food and then turns to the Straw Hats.
"No problem, your welcome." Sanji said.
"My name is Tajio, I'm a probationary cook for the Marines." Tajio introduced himself.
"I'm Sanji, the chef." Sanji replied.
"What do you think? Pretty good, huh?" Luffy asked.
"Sanji, you're great." Tajio told him, turns to the cook with a smile. "You're too good to be working on a rundown pirate ship like this. You could do better."
Luffy feel offended when Tajio said the Going Merry was a rundown ship, and Usopp rambles about the ship was from Syrup Village. Of course, Chopper thought it's something sweet, but it was the name of Usopp's homeland. Nami and Ventus were able to stop them while getting out of the room, looking at the Marine ships.
"So, would you care to fill us in on what happened?" Ventus inquires.
"So, uh, earlier..."
Tajio then starts explaining about why he's at the deck with the pot, remembering about working at the kitchen. He remembered carrying a pot of curry, but tipped over by a broom and accidentally dropped the pot, spilling the curry all over the floor.
"...I spilled the curry that was supposed to be for lunch..."
After cleaning up the mess, Tajio apologizes to the head cook, who crossed his arms with a disappointed look on his face.
'I'm sorry!'
'You make it then. You're the one who spilled the curry, right? Well, if you're so sorry about it, then you can be the one to remake the curry, and it had to be better be ready in time for lunch, is that understood?'
After Tajio finished his explanation, Sanji spoke.
"The chef was entirely right without question." Sanji states, knew full well when he used to work at the Baratie.
"Yeah, I agree." Luffy agrees with a nod, which he learned the hard way plenty of times from Sanji and Ventus.
"After that, I worked really hard. I tried to make it again and again, but it never turned out right." Tajio said sadly.
"Tajio, do you have experience cooking?" Nami asks curiously.
"It's only been 6 months now since I've started as a prohibitionary cook." Tajio explains.
"Well, that's long enough to learn something." Sanji states seriously, earned his attention.
"No it isn't! All I've gotten to do on this ship so far is wash dishes and peel some things! I haven't even made any food yet!" Tajio argued, but turns his expression to sad. "What's worse, this isn't any normal lunch that the curry was cooked for, all of the ships Captains have a tradition. They get to gather once a week and have curry for lunch. And this is the week that my ship was supposed to host. They're used to crave curry, how was my dish going to measure up to what their expecting?"
"The curry that the Marines certainly is famous." Robin told them with a smirk, crossed her arms. "I heard the chefs from ships are always competing against each other to see which one can prepare the tastiest dish."
Ventus couldn't help but sighed in annoyance, doesn't surprised the young Dragoon and won't be the first-time hearing about the cooking competition.
"Oh! Sounds delicious!" Luffy states.
"With 6 months in the galley, you should have more confidence than that, but if you don't think you can do it, just go back to your chef and apologize again." Sanji suggested, then turns and walk away.
"No way! I can't tell him that!" Tajio protests. "If I do, then he'll put me off the ship!"
"Do you have to cook on the ship instead of on land?" Luffy asks.
"And why that particular ship?" Nami adds curiously.
"Uh, well...It's...uh..." Tajio said, trying to find the right words as he looks up and smiled. "Have any of you ever heard of the 'All Blue'?"
It got Sanji stopped when Tajio mentioned the 'All Blue', which he and Ventus heard about it.
"There's the East Blue, the West Blue, the South Blue, and the North Blue. The 'All Blue' is where you can find every delicacy from the four seas in one place." Tajio continued with determination. "For a cook, it's a sea of treasures and I like to see it one day. The older cooks all laugh it off as a dream or myth or something, but I still believe in it. The 'All Blue' is out there somewhere. Marine warships go everywhere, so I have a good chance of finding it by being one. So that's why, I can't afford to be put off the ship."
The Straw Hats, except Ventus and Sanji, can tell that Tajio has the same dream as the cook has, which they both share the same dream on finding the 'All Blue'.
"Huh, that sounds familiar." Usopp said when Zoro turns to Sanji, making Nami pondered with a hum and then smiled.
"I would really like us to get outta here as soon as possible." Nami said with a smirk.
"Yeah, but if we're spotted, they'll most likely fire at us. So, that will not be a good situation." Usopp agrees with his hands behind his head.
"But, we have to something about Tajio first. We need to get him back to the Marine ship." Ventus suggested, turns to Sanji. "Right, Sanji?"
Tajio then turns to Sanji with a hopeful look on his face, causing the cook to turn slightly over his shoulder.
"Fine, I'll take the kid back to his ship." Sanji reluctantly accepts. "Ventus, give us a hand, will you? You're quieter than Luffy because of your wings."
Ventus nods as he sprouts his wings, making Tajio shocked.
"This fog will probably clear up when the afternoon comes." Nami informed them. "You really can't risk hanging around any longer than that, alright?"
"Yeah, that's enough." Sanji replied when Tajio wraps the young Dragoon around him.
"How much are you planning to help him?" Nami inquires.
"I don't know what you mean, I'm going to have a look at the galley from the Marine ship." Sanji remarked.
"Sanji, you coming?!" Ventus shouts.
"Yeah!" Sanji shouts back as he grabs the young Dragoon.
With that, Ventus carries both Sanji and Tajio as he fly towards the Marine ship. Sanji noticed that the young Dragoon was able to carry two, which it got him wondering about his strength. However, Sanji puts two and two together, figured that Ventus must've gotten stronger by training every day on the ship while developing more physical prowess, magic, and combat skills.
Once they land on the Marine Ship, Ventus, Sanji, and Tajio hid inside of the dingy when the Marines are passing through while guarding. Sanji looks through the tap, making the Marines are gone as he then turns to the young Dragoon.
"Ventus, why did you decide to come along with us?" Sanji questions.
"How are you planning on coming back at the Going Merry?" Ventus questions back. "Besides, knowing Luffy, he'll make too much noise if he's with us."
Sanji was about to argue, but didn't since he knows the young Dragoon was right about Luffy and he doesn't have time for arguing.
"Fair enough." Sanji said. "You can come, but if you smell something, let us know."
"Right." Ventus replied as he, Sanji, and Tajio got out of the dingy while quietly head inside of the ship, heading towards the kitchen.
"This is the galley here." Tajio informed them.
"All right, I'll might as well have a look as long as we're here." Sanji said with a smirk.
When Tajio opens the door to the kitchen, it has crates full of potatoes, carrots, onions, and apples along with the big stack of bowls, a stack of plates, a big tray full of plates, silverware, and bowls, and spices on the kitchen table. Everything in the kitchen is organized since the Marines usually keeps the ship in tip-top shape and well-organized which it has to be done by daily basis.
"Hey, this is expensive stuff, that's the Marines for you." Sanji states with an impressed look on his face, placed his hand on his face. "And everything seems to be in really good shape."
"As expected of the Marines, they keep everything organized here. But when it comes to themselves, not entirely." Ventus said when they heard the noise that was coming from the pantry room.
"What was that?" Sanji asks when he, Ventus, and Tajio turns to the noise.
"It came from the ship's pantry." Tajio told him.
"And I know one idiot who makes that noise." Ventus adds, sniffing the air when he caught a certain scent which it annoys him.
Tajio opens the door, noticing the barrels full of onions, apples, potatoes, and carrots are a mess when Luffy sat up.
"Phew, that startle me!" Luffy said with a sigh, holding his straw hat.
'Called it!' Ventus mentally thought.
"Luffy, what do you think you're doing in here?" Sanji questioned surprisingly. "And how did you get here?!"
"Exploring! I was on in the adventure!" Luffy remarked, causing Sanji and Ventus sweat dropped in annoyance. "A chance like this doesn't come along everyday, after all."
Luffy then chuckled as he got up and leaving the pantry, with the food stuffed on his pants.
"So, I guess I'll go and explore somewhere else now." Luffy suggested with a goofy grin.
"Fine, you can do whatever you want, but if the Marines find, I doubt they're gonna be nice." Ventus warned him.
"And whatever you've got stuffed on your pants, leave it here." Sanji adds, causing Luffy to stop. "Apples, right?"
Ventus then grabs Luffy and starts beating him silly while forcing him to get the apples out of his pants. After the beatdown, both Sanji and Ventus went back inside of the kitchen, after they've cleaned up the mess Luffy made.
"This is the curry or what's left of it at least." Tajio told them when he opened the lid, noticed of what's left of the curry as he garbs the ladle, scoop up the curry, and pour it on the sample bowl. He then extends it to Sanji.
"I used to have your job at a fair time restaurant." Sanji told him, leaving Tajio confused. "Yeah, the owner Zeff never did seem want to teach me anything, either."
Sanji then remembered of his time at the Baratie, working on being a chore boy by washing dishes.
"Day in and day out, all he ever let me do is wash dishes." Sanji said, remembering what Zeff told him.
'Hey you, brat! Just working your hardest isn't gonna be good enough in this restaurant. Do you understand? Just think about it all for a little while. Ask yourself, 'why I would let you in to my kitchen and then maybe do only chores for a year?''
Tajio widen his eyes, realizing what Sanji have told him those words Zeff have said to cook.
"That's what Zeff told me when I hated the kitchen chores I've been given." Sanji said.
"Okay, now I get it!" Tajio said with a gasp, then turns to the food. "Instead of teaching me, chef wanted me to absorb his cooking skills!"
"Because cooking isn't something that can be taught." Sanji points out, turned away.
"You know what? I'm going to give it a try!" Tajio declared in determination as he gathered the ingredients and spices he need to make the curry, then crossed his arms. "Alright, now I'll just have to remember what it was chef said!"
Tajio then starts trying to remember what the chef said, but then came up with something he remembered.
"To make curry, you basically combine powder, broth, vegetables, and seasonings, and the curry powder needs to be very delicately blended." Tajio told him when Sanji opens the lids, looking at what's left of curry.
'From the aroma, it seems...they 'ready-made' curry powder and then added some freshly made garam masala.' Sanji mentally thought, noticing the smell.
'He remembered the basics about making curry, but let's see if he knows the difference between one and the other.' Ventus mentally thought, watching Tajio.
Tajio then opens up a can of garam masala which it got him to sneeze, but then remembered what the chef told the other cooks.
'Only a lazy cook will use an ingredient that sat around for days! The longer a gourd was made, the less intense the flavor.'
"Ah! It's fresh garam masala!" Tajio exclaimed, gathered the fresh spices and starts grinding them with the stone grinder set.
'Well, it's a start, at least.' Sanji and Ventus thought with a smirk, watching Tajio grinding the spices.
Meanwhile, the Marines are still patrolling the ship while Luffy was looking around aimlessly, walking towards the main mast.
"This is huge!" Luffy states, but hearing the Marines are coming as he quietly stretched his arms to grab the mast, launching himself up.
"This fog is thick. We won't be moving for a little while."
"It'll probably clear up around midday."
"Oh yeah! Did you hear what happened with the weekly luncheon?"
"Think so. You talking about that probie cook has to make it? I'm a little scared to find out what kind of slop he's going to feed 'em."
"Yeah, I'll say."
While back at the kitchen, Tajio finished grinding the spices and made the freshly garam masala. He then starts thinking of what's the next step he needs to make the curry.
"For the bouillon at least, I should be able to use the stuff that's already been made." Tajio said, turns to the ingredients. "Now, I'll prepare the other ingredients."
Tajio starts grabbing a tray that has the beef.
"For the first step, I'm going to need to cut up and brown this beef." Tanjio states, which it got Sanji raise his eyebrow.
'Cutting the beef is basically a step on making curry, but browning it? That's not a good idea, he's making a mistake without even realizing it.' Ventus mentally thought, watching Tajio placed it on a wooden cutting board and cutting up the beef with the butcher knife.
Once Tajio finished cutting the beef, he then place it on the bowl while Sanji opens the lid and placed his finger on the leftover curry, savoring the flavor.
'In some beef curry is the beef flavor stays locked within the meet and it's not allowed to intrude upon a flavor of the curry itself. From the taste of this recipe however, I can tell that the beef is used to flavor the curry.' Sanji mentally thought, noticing Tajio poured the cooking oil on the pain and starts heating the stove. 'So, the meat's juice should be dissolved in the broth, in which case, the kids already messing things up and he just got started.'
Sanji then decided to give Tajio a hint when he walk next to him, clearing his throat which it got his attention.
"Something wrong?" Tajio inquires when Sanji turns to him.
"Nah, kid, I was just thinking that cooking isn't something you should rush through." Sanji told him when Tajio remembered what the chef told his fellow chefs.
'Everything in cooking depends on preparation. That's the most important part. It's vital to take your time, always keep that in mind.'
Tajio then gasp as he placed the bowl of meat at the counter and turns off the stove. Tajio grabs a pepper grinder and shakes the pepper at the meat, placing the pepper grinder next to the table, and then grabs the teaspoon and garlic.
"Add garlic..."
Then grabs the teaspoon and ginger.
"...Ginger..."
Then grabs the teaspoon and turmeric.
"...Turmeric too..."
And then grabs a jar of yogurt.
"...Then, you put in some yogurt as well."
Once he placed the spices and yogurt on the meat, Tajio then used his hands, mixing them together to make the meat flavorful for the curry. Tajio starts boiling the pot of water while putting tomatoes on the boiling water. He then placed the half-cut onion on the cutting board, and starts dicing them with his kitchen knife. Tajio finishes cutting the onion and noticed the tomatoes are boiling, he places the diced onions on the bowl while pouring the hot water at the sink. Tajio covered his hand with a rag, starts peeling the tomatoes, using the spoon to get the seeds out, and placed the tomatoes on the bowl. Tajio then places the other ingredients at the table while cleaning up the mess, leaving Sanji and Ventus watches him.
Soon as Tajio finished cutting up the carrots and potatoes, he spoke.
"That takes care of the preparations." Tajio said, remembering the next step on making the curry. "Next, I need to start sautéing the onions."
With that, he starts turning the stove on and placing pan on the top of the stove which Sanji noticed something was up.
'Not easy on sauteing the onions if you don't have enough heat.' Ventus mentally thought when Sanji walk towards him and carefully leaning next to the flame.
Tajio starts to gasp in shock when Sanji quickly leans back, puff the smoke out of his mouth which it got the young chef angry.
"As a chef, you have to know that it's not appropriate to smoke where food is being prepared!?" Tajio scolds him. "Earlier, I said that you were way too good to be a cook on a pirate ship, but now I take it back!"
"Well, would you look at that, it seems that I've singe my hair." Sanji said as he then left the kitchen.
'I see what he's doing, he just singed his hair on purpose for getting Tajio to realize the heat level. I don't know if it's either smart or foolish.' Ventus mentally thought with his arms crossed, closed one of his eyes. 'Well, we'll see how it turns out.'
Once Sanji left the kitchen, Tajio then remembered something that the chef told the chefs.
'Now begin by sauteing the onions over a strong flame, but keep them moving so they don't get scorched. Once the onions are soft, you lower the flame. Just slow and gentle. And keep simmering over a low heat until they are nice golden brown, got that men?'
"That's what he meant. Sanji was just warning me about the heat level." Tajio said, then starts leveling up the flame and starts sauteing the onions.
While back at the deck, Luffy stretched his arm and grabs the mast, launching himself as he lands on the top to look at the view.
"Wow, this is really high!" Luffy states with amazement.
However, one of the Marines from the crow's nest heard as he turns and saw Luffy which it got his attention.
"Hey, who are you?!"
"Looks like they've seen me!?" Luffy exclaims in panic as he stretch his arms, grabbing the wooden mast and launches himself while try to get away from the Marine.
While back at the kitchen, Tajio continued on making the curry by heating up the pork fat and butter, after boiling the potatoes and carrots in the pot full of water.
"Get the pork fat melted..."
Tajio then added the flour on the pan, starts sauteing it slowly.
"...Then add in the flour...Gently though...No scorching..."
Once the flour turns to brown, Tajio lowers the heat level while adding the two spoons full of curry powder.
"...Put the curry powder in..."
Tajio then adds the fresh made garam masala.
"...And add fresh garam masala to enhance the flavor..."
Tajio began mixing them up together, gently and not scorching when Sanji walks back inside of the kitchen as he and Ventus watches him progressing his work. Tajio then turns to the pot of potatoes and carrots that's been boiling in hot water.
"Now finally, we put the ingredients together..."
Tajio starts putting the curry in the pot, letting it boil while adding the bouillon.
"...Add in the bouillon..."
Tajio then adds the tomatoes.
"...Tomatoes..."
Tajio then starts mixing it up with the wooden spoon, then pour the sauteed onions in the pot.
"...Add the sauteed onions..."
He then continued mixing it up within a few minutes, then starts pouring the marinated beef.
"...And then the marinated beef..."
'He's making progress on making the curry, but he's missing one more to balance the flavor of the curry.' Ventus mentally thought, watching Tajio mixing them together.
Once Tajio finished mixing them together, he swallowed a lump on his throat since he'll have to taste it first before serving it to the Marines. Tajio uses the ladle to scoop up the curry, pour it in the sample bowl, starts tasting it, but it got him gasp with his eyes widen.
"...It's wrong...it's so weak..." Tajio said in dread, backed away a few steps. "I was right, I couldn't do it after all!"
Both Sanji and Ventus knew that Tajio is missing one more ingredient, grabbed an apple as they take a bite which it got his attention and made him realize what he's missing. But as Tajio turns his head, he noticed that Sanji and Ventus already left the kitchen.
Soon as Sanji and Ventus walked out of the kitchen, they leaned against the wooden rails while looking at the view of the foggy sea.
"Nice apple." Sanji muttered, biting the apple. "It's sure is sweet."
"It's the final ingredient he's missing, hopefully he'll balance the flavor and prepare it for the Marines." Ventus said when Tajio approaches the two.
"Uh, Sanji?" Tajio called him, earned their attention. "Thank you so much."
"What do you mean?" Sanji asks, leaving Tajio confused. "I haven't done anything that requires things. I was just looking around, that's all."
"Sanji, you said that you were just stopping by to look at the Marine galley, but you were really trying to teach me about cooking." Tajio points out.
"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about." Sanji remarked until they heard something.
"Over there, he ran in that direction!"
Sanji, Ventus, and Tajio turns when they saw the Marines chasing after Luffy.
"Sanji! Ventus! Let's get going!" Luffy shouts.
"Luffy, you idiot." Sanji and Ventus muttered in annoyance when Luffy launched himself next to them.
"Well, we better get going before the Marines caught us." Ventus suggested, sprouts his wings when Sanji grabs hold of him.
"Gum-Gum: Mooring Line" Luffy stretched his arm as he grabs the railing of the Going Merry, launching himself.
"Tajio?" Sanji called him with a smirk, earned his attention. "I think it's out there too, the great 'All Blue'."
Tajio widen his eyes in shock when Ventus holds on Sanji and then fly towards the Going Merry. Tajio watches the two leaving and out of sight as he smiled when the Marines approached him.
"Hey Tajio, there was a suspicious looking man up here a second ago. Did you see where he went?"
"I didn't see anything." Tajio told him. "Maybe the fog was playing tricks on eyes."
The Marine couldn't help but grunt.
"Keep looking! He has to be hiding on the ship somewhere! Find him!"
With that, the Marines continued searching for Luffy while Tajio turns with a smile on his face.
After both Sanji and Ventus made at the Going Merry, they start beating up Luffy while given him an earful, which result the rubber Captain in bruises and bumps all over his face.
"Let that lesson be learned, Luffy, because you are not pulling that stunt again." Ventus growled in his dragonic tone.
"I'm sorry, real sorry...Please, don't ruin my face anymore." Luffy pleads in a grunt when Nami and Usopp arrived out of the room.
"What happened?" Nami inquires curiously.
"Luffy happened." Ventus answered simply. "He somehow able to get on the Marine ship without getting caught and couldn't even keep his nose clean. The Marines saw him and chased after him. And the result, you get the ideas."
"WHAT?! THE MARINES SAW HIM?! HOW COULD LET THAT HAPPEN, LUFFY!?" Nami scolded him. "This is exactly why we rather have Ventus as Captain instead of you!"
"Forget it, Nami, he just won't learn anything and always get himself into trouble." Ventus told him. "We better get out of her before the Marines saw us."
"Right! Usopp, Sanji, Ventus, we're leaving immediately!" Nami ordered.
"Yes, Nami, my love~" Sanji replied happily as they setting the sails and lift the anchor, setting sail.
Meanwhile, the Marines were gathered at the room when the chefs arrived with the food. The head chef was hoping that Tajio was able to make the curry.
"Serve the curry."
"Yes sir." Tajio replied as the chefs began serving the curry to the Marines along with the side salad.
"And now, I hope that you enjoy your meal."
And with that, the Marines takes a spoon full of curry and rice as they start eating it. Apparently, the Marines were amazed that the curry tasted so good they wanted to have more.
"My goodness, this is very good indeed."
"Yes, not too thick and the spices are blended together perfectly."
"The meat is so tender, it almost melts in your mouth."
"Another bowl!"
"Right away!"
Both Tajio and the head chef smiled that the Marines liked the curry.
"Tajio."
"Yes sir, chef sir." Tajio said, turned to him when the head chef smiled.
"Make certain that you get everything cleaned up in the kitchen."
"Oh yes! Yes sir!" Tajio replied with a smile as the head chef walked away while he turns and saw the Going Merry is leaving. 'Sanji...'
'I think it's out there too, the great 'All Blue'.'
'I'm going to work really hard...and someday...I'll be as good a cook as you, Sanji. I promise.' Tajio mentally thought with a smile on his face.
That's it for the 3rd chapter.