"They're gone?!"

Smoker glanced up, "Yeah. Those damn Straw Hats left about a day ago." His teeth ground on his cigar. Those damn higher ups...telling him that he couldn't go until a replacement came...

"A day…" The girl in front of him sagged, sinking to her knees, "I missed them by a day…" Her fist slammed into the cobblestones, "DAMMIT!"

"Why're you going after them anyways?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. She didn't look like a pirate. But then again, none of those kids did.

Her knuckles whitened, "I...I have a...friend on the crew."

"A friend?" This was more suspicious than he'd previously imagined. So she'd had contact with them had she? "Which one?"

"The chef. We...we worked together."

"How long?"

"Two years."

Not that long in the grand scheme of things. And yet here she was on the verge of tears just because she came here slightly late.

"So-" He knelt down to meet her eyes, "Why do you want to chase a bunch of rowdy pirates so badly that you're willing to ask a Marine for help?"

She bit her lip, "I just want to know if…"

"If…?"

"If I'm allowed to dream again."

~0O0~0O0~0O0~

Her leg tapped a fast rhythm against the floorboards. She'd been waiting now in this empty office for over 10 minutes now. But considering the work ethic of the Baratie, it was hardly surprising. Even before she set foot in the restaurant, she could feel the enthusiasm practically ooze out of every corner of the ship. Even a dingy office like this one was full of energy, with welts and dents bruising the woodwork. This was a busy place, even if the dining room appeared so serene.

As if to prove her point, the door slammed open despite the protesting hinges. "Sorry for keeping you waiting," Zeff growled, the infamously hard to please manager of this restaurant marching in at an impressive pace despite his wooden leg, "That damned eggplant was causing a ruckus again on the floor. Now-" He slumped onto the chair opposite her- "Patty said you wanted the waiter job, is that right?"

"That's right."

He raised an eyebrow. She really should've been nervous to sit in front of an ex-pirate, but every word came out clean and sharp. She had guts for one so young. "Name? Age?"

"My name is Strauss. I'm 16."

So she was younger than she looked. The grey hair didn't help the prediction. He didn't ask for a family name. Out here, there was no need for trivial formalities like that.

He tilted his chair back, the too tall chefs hat scraping the ceiling, "So, why the hell are you applying to a job all the way out here? Your folks aren't worried."

"I need to work," Her green eyes bored into his, dead and dull.

Zeff grimaced. He should've known. Too many people had come out there to work away their problems far from the mainland. He'd stopped counting quickly. They never stayed long. This place was hardly therapeutic.

But...he grimaced, scratching his head under his long long hat, he was in need of staff fast. The latest pirate attack had scared off the last of the waiting staff, and none of his chefs were willing to sacrifice their pride by stepping out the kitchen.

This girl was polite and well mannered, which was a damned improvement. And elegant, which would finally be a good image to present to the public. Straight back. Head up. Hands discreetly in her lap, even if that leg was jumping all over the place.

He smirked. So she was nervous, was she? Or was it impatience? Her face said nothing.

"You do know that the job position was advertised for men, don't you?"

She nodded, "I do, but I've been in jobs like that before. I can assure you that I can handle it."

"That's...not what I meant," he grimaced, stroking his long moustache, "It's just...I normally make my points with violence-" His lip curled- "and I despise any harm towards women."

"Then I'll just make sure to never mess up."

Well...she seemed determined at least. Zeff hummed. It would be good if she continued on, but he wanted commitment. No quitting after just a week. It would be a pain in the ass if he had to send out another recruitment campaign. And he never really used violence against the servers anyways...

"Whoever's on the floor today will show you the ropes." He tossed her the menu, "Keep up."

Strauss caught it in her hand, bowing as she stood, "Yes sir. But if you don't mind," she gestured to her tatty and stained baggy jumper and black leggings, "I think a change of clothes may be in order. This is hardly professional."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He grunted to his feet. Damn he was getting old. "Patty, go get her some of Sanji's clothes. He's about her age, ain't he? Shirt, tie, and trousers should do the trick." He eyed the girl once more, "And a belt wouldn't be a bad idea." Pausing at the silence, he sighed, "I know you're listening behind the door, ya dumbass."

"Sorry boss!" The muscular man burst in, wringing his hands, "I just was just curious by how insistent this shitty bitch was to get the job. I wasn't trying to spy or nothing."

"Just get on and do it." He grimaced, massaging his temple as Patty crashed away. Dear lord he needed polite employees… At least this new girl (what was her name again? Spruce? Stress? He hoped it wasn't the latter; he'd had more than enough of that to last him a lifetime) didn't seem to be at all phased at the fowl language directed at her. He hid a smirk with his hand. She'd fit right in.

Patty was back in such a short period of time Zeff was sure Sanji's room now resembled a trash heap. What that damned eggplant had done to piss Patty off so much the ex-pirate would never know, but he was certainly paying for it tenfold.

"This is probably the closest we have to your size right now," he grunted as she smoothed out the fabric that had been crumpled in Patty's meaty fists. "Your shoes are decent at least, but this is the best we can do."

"Thank you."

"Uh...Boss…"

He groaned, "Why're you not in the kitchen already?"

Patty winced, "It's just that...the shitty brat's on the floor today…"

"Perfect," he swung his pegleg onto the desk, "Send him up. Tell him there's a new recruit that needs training. Then get back to work!"

"Y-yes Boss!" The poor door creaked loudly as it slammed shut for the third time that meeting.

He groaned, head in his hand "Damned cook... How're the clothes?"

"They'll do. Trousers are a little long, but I'll roll them up a bit." She pulled off her jumper, her bandaged chest doing nothing to hide the muscles in her stomach and arms.

So her words weren't for show. Zeff inwardly chuckled. That eggplant was going to throw a fit once he noticed. However… He frowned. It looked like muscle was the only thing over those bones. As she tugged the shirt over her head, the dents formed by her ribs became pronounced enough to count. She was strong, but at what cost?

Not noticing the assessment, Strauss tugged on the collared shirt over her top. "This Sanji's slim," she noted as she did it up.

Zeff grunted. This would do for now. She was right about needing to roll up the legs; the brat's legs had always been freakishly long. Yes, he grinned as she tightened the tie, this would do very nicely indeed.

"Oi, shitty geezer!" The door handle turned, revealing a youngish teenager with straight blond hair flopped over one eye, "Why did I see Patty with some of my clothes? And what's this about a new trainee...?" He trailed off as he finally realised he wasn't alone, his visible eye widening under his spiralling eyebrow.

"Good. You came faster than I thought," Zeff grunted, swinging to his feet, "This is Strauss, the new waiter. Strauss, this is Sanji our Sous Chef. He'll be showing you the ropes."

Glancing up from where she studied the menu, she dipped her head, "Please take care of me."

"Right…" He grimaced, "So that's where my clothes went. You'd better take care of them, you hear? And be perfect. I don't want a crappy new trainee scaring the ladies."

Zeff froze.

Was Sanji...badmouthing a lady?

Strauss nodded, completely oblivious, "I see. I hope to be a quick study."

Had the pork in the kitchen sprouted wings?

This girl didn't seem that masculine. Although… her chest was definitely a lot flatter than that of many girls her age, and the little curves that were there to begin with were invisible beneath that shirt…

And the position had always been advertised for men.

Was Sanji thinking that...

Zeff had decided...he'd hire the girl no matter how good she was. Lord knew he deserved a bit of entertainment in this crazy restaurant.

And he was in need of new servers.

~0O0~

"Madame, I recommend this wine for a beauty such as yourself."

Strauss' foot tapped faster. This was getting ridiculous.

At first all was well. Sanji had shown her the blackboard where the daily specials were, the way to the kitchens up and down the spiral staircase (pointing out a chipped step caused by a pirate attack), as well as the exact locations of each individual bottle in the wine cellar. It was mind boggling really, and she knew full well that this was going to be a lot to remember. Let alone memorising the menu, the ingredients in the dishes, and the best drinks to go with said dishes. It was a lot of work.

Work that she really needed right now. Something to keep her mind off things.

But what was too much, way too much, was the behaviour of her co-worker she was shadowing. In particular...his behaviour around women. As soon as a female walked through the door, he doted on her every word and showed her every possible kindness.

No matter who they were with.

Take this poor woman. Judging by the slim gold ring on her finger and the silently raging man across her, she was obviously married or engaged.

"It has a delicate, light fragrance. Similar to your floral perfume."

So why was he flirting with her? If you could even call it that. At this point it was more harassment than anything.

And it wasn't just that. Strauss was no fool; she noticed how Sanji always angled his body towards any woman he served, and how meticulous he was with their serving compared to how he served men. The casual diner wouldn't have noticed. It was only because she'd seen it again...and again...and again…

She wondered for a moment why he hadn't aimed for her yet if he was such a flirt, but the thought vanished in an instant. They were coworkers after all. He was respecting that boundary.

But still… Oooh, she just wanted to kick some courtesy into him… if she wasn't afraid of getting fired.

Eventually, she couldn't take it any longer. "Sanji." She tapped his back.

As soon as he turned to her, he scowled, "What?

"A table behind is ready to order," Strauss gestured to a table (of entirely men) waving their hands desperately in the air a few feet away.

"I see." He sighed. Turning back to the couple, he bowed deeply, "My apologies madam, but I must go. I hope you enjoy your meal." Straightening, both himself and his collar, he stalked towards the awaiting table.

Before following, Strauss lingered at the table. Like Sanji, she too bowed, "Please excuse my colleague. I'll be sure to have a word with him later. Is there anything I can do to compensate?"

Could she do this? She was in big trouble if she wasn't.

"Thank you," the gentleman replied as he reached across the table to link hands with his wife. Pausing, they glanced at each other, "Actually, we came all the way here to see the amazing fighting chefs. Would it be possible to guarantee a fight?"

The fighting chefs huh? That explained why there was a large open space just by the door. What a weird interest to focus a date around. She felt sorry for the poor woman, having to be dragged he-

"My wife is a big fan."

Well… Now Strauss felt stupid for entertaining stereotypes. She bowed, "I'm afraid I can make no promises, I don't want to disturb the other diners. However if a fight breaks out, I'll be sure to notify you immediately."

"Oi! Strauss," Sanji yelled from across the room, "You'd better not be disturbing the lady!"

The woman chuckled, "I guess that's really the best we can hope for. Thank you for listening though."

"It was my pleasure. Please, enjoy your meal," Strauss smiled as she walked back to Sanji.

"Sheesh." He groaned, "Try not to slack off on the job again, alright? We run a business here."

It was official. She didn't like him. All she had done was clean up after his mess, and the first thing he did was tell her off?!

Perhaps she could give that couple the fight they wanted right then and there.

Her stomach growled.

Sanji froze in his tracks. Slowly turning, "When did you last eat?"

"This morning."

"...I see." He took in her lean frame for a moment, before stalking off.

It was the truth after all. She'd saved her final slice of bread especially for today. She hadn't wanted her stomach to gurgle halfway through her interview after all.

And it still had...

Her shoulders tensed, but she eventually followed Sanji as he went upstairs. Right on the landing sat a jug full of water and some glasses.

"Drink this." He demanded, shoving a glass of water in Strauss' face, "It'll fill you up for a bit. And make sure you eat something after we're done."

She stiffened, taking the glass without realising it. Perhaps he wasn't that bad, just overly kind.

"I don't want you to disturb the ladies with that obnoxious sound."

The glass dug into her hand. Nope. He was just a flirt.

"Drink as much as you need," he sighed, completely oblivious, before walking downstairs once more.

How could someone be so...so….rude?!

"N...no way."

She turned, only to see a hord of burly cooks peering through a crack in the kitchen door.

"Has Sanji finally lost it?" one with a scarred eye murmured.

Another just gaped, "I never thought I'd see this day…"

"Oi you lot!" Zeff barked from inside, "What did I say about slacking off? Get back to work!"

The door shut with a squeak, doing nothing to muffle the sound of wood thwacking people's heads going on inside.

Strauss scratched her head. Just what was that all about? Was Sanji normally worse than this? She hoped not. How he was now was bad enough.

The glass was still in her hand. Sighing, she drank it all. Just a usual day of drinking water to quell the hunger. This was something she could deal with.

At least this water was clean.

After a few more swigs, she went back down to the floor. Manager Zeff had a point after all. She couldn't be slacking off on her training.

"OI!" The kitchen door slammed open again, "Table 9's food is ready."

"Right away." She took the two plates, making a note of what menu items they were. This was the seafood carbonara and the oyster linguine. Just as well Sanji had been grilling her on recognising the dishes. Why did they have to look so similar...it wasn't fair.

The cook frowned behind his small glasses, "I'll leave the other two on the counter, come up once you've delivered those."

She cocked her head, "Why not take them down now?" She held out her arms, "Just put them on my upper arms."

"I don't know…"

"Trust me," she smiled, "I have good balance."

He sighed, "I guess Sanji does it all the time…"

Two more dishes were bought out, beef salad and a lobster roll. After she was satisfied with how the chef put them on her arms, Strauss skipped down the stairs. This was nothing.

~0O0~

Sanji sighed as he saw Strauss making his way down the stairs. Seriously, was this newbie trying to show off? There were way too many times that inexperienced servers had tried to copy him only to waste platefuls of food. He should probably stop him before there was an even bigger mess.

Apart from…

The newbie seemed to be handling it just fine. Strauss didn't seem unbalanced in the slightest. He had it all under control, from the moment when he'd descended the stairs to when he delivered the dishes to the correct table.

A perfect picture of elegance.

"You didn't tell me you had experience," He smiled as Strauss walked towards him. Now that he properly looked, he even stood elegantly. Straight back, raised head, and poised feet. Much more sophisticated than those idiots in the kitchen. Perhaps, he could finally have someone to talk to apart from that Shitty Geezer.

"I don't," he walked straight past him, "I just have good balance."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. The nerve! He was his senior here; this newbie should be treating him with respect, "Now listen here-"

"Hm?" Strauss straightened from the abandoned table behind him, "So...you don't want this table cleared?"

Oh. So that was it, "Uh...no we should clear this up."

"Okay then...," he sighed, collecting up the dirty cutlery.

Damn...that ponytail. If Sanji didn't know better he'd think Strauss was a girl. But he couldn't be. The job was specifically for men. And Strauss didn't have the right physique…

"Have I...spilt something on the shirt or something?"

Sanji now realised that he'd been staring at Strauss' (very much flat) chest for a solid minute. Ah well, they were both guys, "You'd better not. That's my shirt you're wearing."

"I know, sorry about that." He chuckled, stacking the plates onto his arm, "My clothes were pretty grubby, so the Manager Zeff thought I should change into something more sophisticated. And we seem to be similar sizes anyways."

Similar...but not quite the same, Sanji noted. He knew full well that he was slim, but even his shirt hung off Strauss. His eyes narrowed. The shitty geezer had said they were similar ages, but genetics couldn't make someone that skinny. There was also how his stomach rumbled.

He'd recognised that sound. It was something he'd never wanted to hear again.

The door flung open, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Bwahahaha!" The stout pirate at the front of the pack guffawed, "We're the Rotund Pirates! Give us all your food! And your cash too!"

Sanji groaned. Of course there would be a pirate attack just as they got a new server. What shitty luck! This had been what scared the last one off. And the one before that. (The one before that quit on the first day after being introduced to that idiot Patty, but that didn't really matter now did it?)

Crack!

His head whipped to the side.

Strauss cracked his knuckles one more time, plates neatly set down on the table, "Are we allowed to beat them up? Since I am in serious need of some stress relief."

The corner of his mouth curled up. So Strauss wasn't scared. That or he was being brave for show. The answer would be obvious soon enough.

"We'll try to talk them out of it first," Sanji pulled his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, placing one in his mouth, "If they don't listen, that's their problem."

"Fine by me."

"Excuse me sirs-" Sanji stepped forwards, Strauss just behind him- "Do you have a reservation?"

A gun barrel was shoved in his face, "I think this speaks for itself."

"I see." Sanji cooly lit his cigarette, tossing the still lit match into the pirate's face. "Then I politely ask you to leave. You are disturbing our guests."

The idle chatter of the diners had ceased. Multiple pairs of eyes were trained at the door. In fear, or in anticipation. It varied from guest to guest, depending on why they had come here.

He spluttered, "How...how dare you mock me!" His eyes snapped to Strauss, and the gun barrel switched its target. "If you don't take me to the food stores and the cash register right this moment, your little girlfriend here is gonna be filled with lead!"

Sanji winced internally. Poor Strauss. That must have been a massive blow to the ego. At least the newbie didn't seem that affected. He must get mistaken for a girl quite often.

No, instead Strauss turned to him, "Now?"

"Yeah, he ain't listening."

"Huh?!" The pirate leered, shoving a piece of parchment in their faces, "You think you can take me?! I got a bounty of 20,000,000 bellies! See!"

Strauss reached out to gently peel off the obviously exaggerated drawing, "Strange. You don't look like a Fishman to me."

"Wha…" He spun to his subordinates, "I thought I told you to do a better job this time!"

Slam!

Two feet planted themselves in his face. Both from different people.

Sanji and Strauss blinked at each other, legs still raised.

"Nice to know there's finally someone else here who can put up a good fight aside from the geezer," Sanji smirked.

Strauss chuckled, "I'm glad you're not just a pretty boy."

"H-hey!" The subordinates rushed forwards, "How dare you attack our Captain!"

"It's his fault for turning away."

"Why you-" The crew surged forwards.

The fight that ensued wasn't even worth mentioning. All the grunts had little to no combat experience. Sanji barely had to kick them hard. In a way, he was grateful. It meant that he could watch the newbie. See if all those words were all for show.

They weren't.

Even though they both used kicks, the way he fought was different to Sanji. Although Sanji prided himself on finesse and precision, Strauss took it to a whole other level. Every foot was extended, every sweep was straight. Even if there was less power behind it, his hits never failed to strike their target. He even had no problems using his hands to flip himself over opponents. Which he did a lot. Sanji wasn't sure if Strauss had even been touched, he wove so quickly between the opponents.

It was almost as if...it was a dance.

"Phew!" Strauss smiled as the final groaning pirate was booted into the ocean amidst the roaring applause from the diners. "I needed that!"

"That...was impressive," Sanji admitted, holding out a fist.

Raising an eyebrow, he gave it a light tap, "Same here. You need to teach me how to get that sorta power behind your kicks."

"Only if you teach me how to weave through enemies like that." Sanji replied, watching Strauss give a not-so-sly wink to that couple he'd been talking to earlier.

"It's a deal."

They grinned, going back to their duties with a newfound respect for each other that neither could properly explain.

~0O0~

Zeff chuckled from his observation point at the top of the stairs. He was glad that Strauss had come along when she did. She was just what the Baratie needed. Her table manners were impeccable, her balance was flawless, and most importantly she could clean up the mess that damn eggplant left behind.

He watched as she steered Sanji away from yet another table of uncomfortable ladies.

This would be good for the eggplant. Not only would he get a companion his own age for once, but it'd give him a good lesson about women.

Sighing, Zeff pulled down his long, long moustache. He didn't regret teaching Sanji never to harm a woman, but recently he was going a little too far. The longer the eggplant put women on a pedestal, the harder it'd come back to bite him later.

Zeff knew a few female chefs who would be downright furious if he treated them differently. He shuddered internally. Oh the number of ass whoopings he'd get…

Although there was one problem that was ruining his whole plan.

Down below Sanji yelled at Strauss for apologising to the table from before, lightly thumping her on the head.

Those two were too damn oblivious!

The eggplant hadn't realised that Strauss was a woman. That he knew for certain by now. Otherwise he wouldn't have even thought of letting her fight.

And Strauss had no idea the eggplant thought she was a man. How that happened, Zeff had no clue. Then again, she was more than a little bit headstrong.

He stroked his moustache again. Maybe he should just watch this play out. The eggplant was bound to find out eventually. Perhaps the lesson would stick better if he changed his behaviour towards her.

One thing was certain.

He was going to have to order copious amounts of Popcorn.