Chapter 49

Take off

Sanji fiddled with his cufflinks for the hundredth time that afternoon. Sitting alone in the huge, solemn hall of Vorgo town hall, he couldn't help but cast regular glances in the direction of the massive wooden door behind which Lily, Liam and Tori had disappeared earlier.

A few days earlier, a letter had arrived at Lily's to invite her to a meeting with the local elected officials of Vorgo Island. The letter was vague and simply mentioned a need for administrative clarification. Sanji had then accompanied the fisherwoman without too much apprehension, but on-site, they had discovered that All Blue was at the center of a real jurisdictional issue: the elected officials of Vorgo felt that they had a say in All Blue, arguing that all travel used the door on their territory and that they had largely contributed to All Blue's growth. Vorgo's representatives demanded access control by their department and they hadn't hesitated to offer to extend their influence over the entire ocean on the pretext of the impossibility of All Blue inhabitants to defend themselves against the pirates who attacked them regularly.

Sanji had understood that their real intention was to place local officials on All Blue to control its islands and at the same time all its profits. Indeed, the restaurant was attracting an ever-growing crowd and the main island had grown considerably, attracting citizens from all over the Grand Line for a short vacation or a permanent stay. Although he was furious to see their deceit, the blond had lay low so as not to attract the attention of the dozen elected officials they had faced at that moment. For them, he had no decision-making weight and he was nothing more than a simple cook, which suited their business perfectly. He had let Lily answer as the designated representative then.

The young woman had gained self-confidence for all these months during which she was regularly invited to talk about her island and to receive important people. So she hadn't let herself be impressed and had reminded that Vorgo's door wasn't the only one and that if it was a problem, they would now use the new door that Liam had opened further north.

The elected officials had appeared annoyed and played the card of appeasement and understanding, hoping to appease her and probably counting at the same time on her political inexperience. Yet the fisherwoman had held firm and, in the end, the mayor had decided to bring in a representative of the World Government to settle the question. Indeed, as an economic territory, All Blue had to organize its institutions or at least, its administrators had to be able to pay a tax to benefit from the protection of the World Government. If they refused to be part of this organization, other countries were entitled to attack them and claim their lands if they didn't know how to defend themselves.

That's why today, his three friends had come to explain their decision in front of the senior official of the World Government and Sanji felt really anxious. He knew that Lily would declare independence of All Blue, voted unanimously by the townspeople at the start of their adventure, but he was afraid that the World Government would take an interest in them as a result. All Blue was a windfall of money and resources, so there was no reason why the powerful of this world wouldn't want to make it their own. And if All Blue took distance with the World Government, maybe this one would seek to monopolize its wealth by devious means to force them to give in.

To guarantee maximum discretion, neither Zeff nor he took part in the negotiations, but the blond hadn't been able to resist accompanying the three locals and while his gaze absently followed the passers-by outside, a burst of voices caught his attention.

He then listened in the direction of the door on his left.

"You don't even have a school! Your children have to come to Vorgo and we can't bear that cost!"

"We can contribute to the costs while waiting to have one," the calm voice of Lily answered.

"What about those doors that attract all the Grand Line pirates? Our fellow citizens complain every day about the insecurity they bring!"

"Your streets are much worse than ours," Tori replied immediately, outraged. "Before you even knew of All Blue's existence, it was common knowledge that your neighborhoods weren't safe!"

"You can't make such judgments! We have some of the best restaurants in the area and lots of tourists come to our island!"

"And even more since the All Blue opened," the farmer muttered again.

"Exactly! Your door attracts pirates; they know you're weak!"

"Even if you control the door, you can't prevent them from coming anyway," Liam intervened. "The safest choice for you would be to bar it if it's indeed a security problem."

"Let's not exaggerate, we don't want to put an end to the special relationship we have begun to develop with you…"

"Why not accept Vorgo's help? We have officers who could protect you…"

"We want a fully independent nation," Lily insisted.

"Forgive me, but your reasoning is simplistic. You have neither the means nor the strength."

"Affiliation to the World Government isn't mandatory but it's very advisable in your case," the voice of their representative approved.

"I remind you that this is a private meeting. If you don't respect these conditions, I'll ask you to leave the town hall."

Sanji clenched his teeth around his cigarette butt so as not to reply to the peremptory tone the receptionist had used. He then shifted again towards the windows to try to occupy his mind, hoping very much that his ordeal would soon be over because when hearing the fallacious arguments of the local elected officials, he didn't know how long he could restrain himself from barging in.

"So, what did they decide?"

When Tori, Liam and Lily had come out after more than five hours of fierce discussions, their features were drawn and Sanji had felt his heart racing in his chest. All the effort they had put in, all the sacrifices they had made… At that moment, Sanji hadn't been sure he could restrain himself if his friends had told him that the World Government was imposing an affiliation on them or if they allowed Vorgo to control All Blue. At that minute, he would have been ready for anything and no matter the consequences. Not even the threat of a Buster Call would have made him back down.

Yet he had managed not to explode until they were away from the town hall in order to talk more privately but now that they were approaching the port, the blond clenched his fists deep in his pockets, clearly anxious. He was about to brace himself to ask his companions again when Lily beat him to it.

"Don't worry, Sanji, we got what we wanted: All Blue was declared an independent territory and its borders are demarcated by the doors. As a result, no other nation can annex it just because there's a door on its own territory," she reassured him with a tired smile.

The blond felt the tension boiling inside him for hours suddenly slip away and he sighed in relief. "Without any compensation?" He wondered then.

"Some agreements are to be expected with the town hall of Vorgo to help finance some expenses such as schools and the shuttles to reach All Blue, but it should be manageable," she assured him again.

A huge smile lit up the cook's face then but beside him, Tori shook his head. "We'll have to beware of Vorgo," he muttered, untying the mooring rope from their boat, "They're not happy with this decision and they'll probably try to attack us to prove we can't defend ourselves and so claim All Blue."

"The World Government official told us that in case of problems, neither the Marines nor the Warlords would come to help us since we refused to be part of their organization," Liam grimaced as he removed the gangway.

"I guess it's the lesser evil. Honestly, I was expecting worse," the blond acknowledged while offering Lily a seat before unfurling the sails.

Yet the fisherwoman refused to sit down and went to the front of their small ship. Liam took the helm and Tori weighed anchor. Sanji then guided his friends out of the port and once on the high seas towards the door, he joined the young woman who was still deep in thought at the bow.

"Is something bothering you, sweet Lily?" He inquired softly as his lighter ignited one of his precious cigarettes out of the wind thanks to his hand.

She shook her head. "On the contrary, I am so moved," she whispered, her gaze fixed on the ocean darkened by the nightfall. "As a representative, I'll have to sign the official declaration papers of a new territory and I… I don't realize. It's so unexpected, I never thought I'd see All Blue become an official country in the eyes of the whole world…"

She then turned abruptly to him, her eyes shining with tears.

"I know the renunciations you had to face to reveal All Blue and those you continue to make to protect it. I don't think we can ever thank you enough for what you're doing for us but…"

Tears suddenly began to run down her cheeks and Lily fell into the arms of this providential man who had changed her life as well as those of all the inhabitants of this legendary ocean. Catching her breath, she then rested her head against his shoulder, deeply moved.

"Thank you for being here and believing in us. Thank you for putting aside your own happiness to build ours. Thank you… for being you. Thank you, Sanji. Thank you so much…"

Touched, the cook tenderly caressed the long brown hair of the fisherwoman with one hand while with the other, he held his cigarette at a safe distance. He blew the smoke towards the sky which was gradually filled with stars. A little over a year ago, he too would never have imagined coming so far. Admittedly, he had worked day and night since that date, but to experience the realization of his promise was disconcerting right now.

"It was my dream before it became yours," he reminded her softly, "Believe me, I'm at least as happy as you tonight…"

"Good night, sweet Lily! You've been wonderful!"

The young woman smiled softly in return and after a last nod, she pushed the door of her small garden in the direction of her house. "Good night, Sanji. You too, Liam. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Lily."

The fisherwoman turned away and the two men resumed their own way through the peacefully sleeping village.

When their little boat had finally reached All Blue an hour earlier, it was already late and the restaurant was closing. Sanji had barely had time to announce the good news to Zeff and a bottle of champagne had been uncorked. During the crossing, the emotion had faded in favor of the simple joy of being able to celebrate a stage as crucial as the establishment of All Blue as a new territory. This happiness would even have turned into euphoria if Zeff hadn't stepped in and kicked everyone out before the cook could open a second bottle. At the same time, they were all tired and Tori had quickly headed for his house while Sanji had insisted on taking Lily home. Liam had followed them naturally.

Now silence completely invaded the place but Sanji felt the excitement still brewing in him since they had disembarked. He was realizing that his promise to the inhabitants was coming true and he found it hard to contain his exaltation that the alcohol had helped to loosen.

Seeing him buzzing, Liam soon offered to extend the evening a bit when they arrived in front of the scientist's house which was next to his workshop and Sanji hastened to accept. While the dark-haired man went to check the recordings of his devices during his absence, Sanji went inside and when his host joined him, the cook had found two glasses and a bottle of vodka which he showed him, smiling.

"The old geezer doesn't know how to celebrate."

Liam shook his head despite his own amused smile and grabbed the glass handed to him. Sanji then raised his own, his eyes shining. "Here's to your victory over those fools from Vorgo!"

The scientist clinked his glass against his in assent and the two men downed their drink in one long gulp.

"It's definitely not my favorite alcohol," the dark-haired man grimaced afterwards, putting down his glass.

Sanji nodded, still beaming. "It's a bit strong but it's the right drink for celebrations!"

To back up his statement, the blond grabbed the glasses to refill them but Liam put his hand on his own to stop him. "I haven't eaten anything since noon so I don't think it's a good idea," he apologized in front of Sanji's surprised look. "It usually makes me sick."

"You should have told me!"

Sanji abruptly put down his bottle and rushed towards the kitchen of the scientist who stared at him in disbelief before rushing after him.

"I didn't say that to make you cook!" He tried to stop him when he joined him, but Sanji was already selecting ingredients from his fridge. "I can do it myself, you know. It's late…"

"What are you talking about? I'm the cook here," the blond replied, now looking critically at his cupboards.

"Yeah, I know, but that doesn't mean you have to do it all the time. Aren't you tired of it sometimes?"

The cook grabbed a large knife to split a piece of bread he had found on the table. "What about you? Aren't you tired of racking your brains over your sound waves?"

"I'm not, I love acoustics; it's not a chore."

The blond then lifted his head to meet Liam's gaze knowingly and the man shook his own, this time smiling.

"See, we understand each other," the cook pointed out to him, choosing thin slices of meat while draining several lettuce leaves.

"Okay, I think you're right."

Finally, Sanji finished making two appetizing sandwiches and he placed them in front of the scientist who had sat on the other side of the counter to watch him work. The blond then took their glasses to refill them and they toasted again.

"Here's to all your work which is really starting to pay off."

"Here's to our new status as an independent island."

"Here's to All Blue."

They emptied their glasses then silently ate the cook's snack. Sure enough, neither of them had eaten in several hours, and that snack didn't take long to disappear. A few minutes later, Sanji cleared away the plates and glasses while Liam took care of grabbing the knives and the remaining bread. The dark-haired man approached the sink to put the cutlery in the hot water that the cook had started to run, but the bread escaped him at the same time and suddenly disappeared into the water.

"Crap!" Instinctively, Liam reached down to retrieve it but the damage was done and he put the soaked piece down on the edge of the sink, crestfallen. "Sorry…"

"It's okay, it happens." Liam was staring at his dripping piece of bread with a particularly distressed look and Sanji couldn't help laughing. "Vodka's not doing you any favors!"

"I don't know but what I'm sure of is that you don't like it when food is wasted…"

"That's right, but that was an accident so relax." The blond then turned away to put away his last utensils and he was finishing closing a drawer when Liam called out to him again.

"Sanji."

"Yeah?"

"My hand is burning."

The cook turned sharply in his direction and felt his eyes widen. The scientist was wincing while staring at his scarlet red and visibly painful hand.

"Holy shit!"

Placing his dish towel abruptly on the worktop, the blond pounced at him to grab his wrist while turning on the cold water. He then plunged the man's hand under the icy water and Liam jumped because of the sharp contrast. He tried to escape from the blond's grasp but Sanji held on and after a few moments, the scientist seemed to relax.

Several minutes later, Sanji finally turned off the water and Liam retrieved his hand to watch it. "It's still as red," he observed.

"It's the effect of the cold but it calms the burn."

Sanji grabbed a clean dish towel and took the scientist's injured hand to wipe it gently while examining it. He had had his share of burns and wounds because of his passion and he knew that the hands were very innervated limbs whose pain was really severe. So he was relieved to find that Liam's burn seemed to be superficial.

"Do you have any moisturizer or soothing cream?" He asked him next. "Some gel against insect bites or something like that."

"In the bathroom."

"Okay, I'll go."

The cook didn't take long to find what he was looking for, but when he returned with a gel tube of aloe vera a few moments later, he found the scientist sitting on the sofa and his face tense.

"Are you in pain?" He asked as he approached, frowning.

"No, I'm fine but… I needed to sit down."

"It's probably the shock on top of everything you drank."

Sanji sat down next to him and smeared some cream on his reddened hand before comparing it to the other carefully. He then massaged the substance thoroughly into his skin as Liam watched him wordlessly.

"Why didn't you say right away that you were burned?" The cook finally muttered, focusing on his task.

"I don't know why I didn't react. I felt it but it's as if it wasn't so serious…"

"You drank too much," the blond sighed.

"I ate your sandwich," Liam reminded him.

"It was too fast; your body didn't have time to assimilate it. I'm sorry I pushed you…"

"Don't, I'm glad you did." Sanji looked up to him, surprised, and Liam looked down. "I'd never have dared to hold your hand otherwise…"

The cook froze before following the dark-haired man's gaze on their joined hands. He then realized that he had stopped smearing the cream and for a few seconds, none of them moved, a strange tension invading the room.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that…"

The scientist tried to remove his hand, uncomfortable, but his movement brought the blond out of his torpor and he closed his fingers around his. Liam looked questioningly at him, visibly surprised, and Sanji absently traced small circles on the scientist's skin with his thumb.

The cook shivered. Liam's hand felt nice in his own despite the odd sense of unreality he felt at the mere touch. In front of him, the dark-haired man didn't dare to move and Sanji leaned towards him to place his lips against his. Their kiss only lasted for a moment, yet when the blond straightened up, the scientist was staring at him, clearly undecided.

Sanji then took a short breath before sliding Liam's hand that he was still holding to place it on his own shirt next to his heart.

"Sanji…"

"What is it?"

The blond fixed his gaze on his, giving him his full attention, but the scientist turned away because of his intensity. "I don't know if it's a good idea…"

"If you don't feel like it, I'm not forcing you-"

"I-I do! I want to, believe me, I just wanna make sure it's not too soon for you, that's all…"

"Put your hands on me, Liam."

At these words, the scientist's fingers tensed on the piece of fabric and those of the cook fell slowly along his body. After a few moments, Liam allowed himself to slowly shift his hand, brushing it again to explore the blond's chest above his clothing. Sanji's breath stopped and he closed his eyes. These gestures awakened something familiar in him, something he hadn't felt for a long time, and this feeling terrified him as much as it tempted him.

The blond suddenly opened his eyes, breathless, and fell on Liam's gaze who was watching him intently. His hand stopped on the blond's shirt and rested on his cheek.

"Sanji, you're shaking," he gently pointed out to him.

"I'm fine."

The cook took a short breath before placing his lips on his again to prove it to him. This time, he made their kiss last longer, allowing himself to enjoy this intimate contact for the first time. Still, a shaky breath escaped him and Liam pushed him away slowly.

"You don't have to do this," he reminded him. "I don't mind, you know."

His throat dry, Sanji shook his head and rested his forehead against his. "I'm ready, Liam, it's just… I need it."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I want to move on, I need to… forget."

The scientist looked into his eyes for a moment and Sanji didn't look away. He knew that Liam understood the true meaning of his answer, assuring him that he was now ready to begin this relationship with him. Although they got closer on the blond's initiative, he had remained relatively distant since, leaving the scientist to wonder what they really shared. But tonight, Sanji wanted to put an end to his hesitation and come to terms with the decision he had made a few weeks earlier by focusing exclusively on his dream. Hadn't he raised his glass to the new page of history that All Blue was now going to be able to write an hour before?

Liam suddenly put his hands around his face, pulling him into a burning kiss, and Sanji realized all the passion the scientist felt for him but also all his thoughtfulness and patience. This observation lifted his last doubts and he closed his eyes, letting himself be overwhelmed by the desire of his companion.

He was also taking off tonight.

Sanji woke up with a start and sat up on the bed where he had fallen asleep, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Beside him, Liam sat up in turn, frowning and his eyes full of sleep. He approached his hand to the blond hair of the cook to appease him but when he saw him, Sanji couldn't help but shift slightly.

"I'm fine, I just… I need to get some air." Sanji quickly pushed back the sheet that was still covering him to put on his clothes and a few seconds later, the bedroom door then the house door closed behind him.

Outside, he instinctively reached for a cigarette to stick it in his mouth and lit it before taking a deep breath to calm his trembling fingers. In front of him, the first glimmers of dawn barely colored the horizon and he closed his eyes to enjoy the peace of mind that nicotine always brought him. He hadn't slept for more than three hours, but he felt totally incapable of going back to bed, let alone going back to sleep. His thoughts raced in all directions and a wave of emotion suddenly gripped his chest painfully. He opened his eyes again and his gaze caught the top of the island. Without looking back, he crossed the barrier of the small garden which separated Liam's house from the rest of the village.

When he stopped at the edge of the cliff, Sanji realized that his steps had led him to the huge cherry tree that overlooked the ocean a few meters from his restaurant. The beginning of spring had opened its first buds and some flowers were already a bright pink. Gently, he grabbed one from its branch and examined it. Its petals caressed his skin and the blond gazed at its perfect symmetry. After weeks of hibernation, the tree was full of life again, ready to face new seasons.

His other hand suddenly leaning against the tree, Sanji felt like choking. His fingers closed convulsively against the rough trunk and his throat tightened as his eyes filled with tears. He tried to breathe slowly to fight against the emotion that was coming over him but despite all his will, he couldn't hold back a tear that slowly slipped down his cheek before disappearing in the hollow of his neck under his shirt. He breathed again then and relaxed his shoulders.

When he opened his eyes a few minutes later, the sun was beginning to rise across the sky and his gaze was irresistibly drawn to the shimmering blue sea at his feet. The blond bit his lip. This time, he had done it. He had really moved on. A wave of guilt assailed him again at this thought but he tried to suppress it. He knew it was going to fade eventually. It was necessary. It was about time.

The cook uncurled his fingers and stared at the crumpled cherry blossom in his palm. A breath of wind enveloped him and the flower trembled. Sanji let it slip away from him. It swirled away towards the sea and the blond felt his heart sink one last time as he finally found the courage to turn away.

"Goodbye, Zoro…"

Musical inspiration: Goodbye to you - Michelle Branch

This chapter is hard to read and it was hard to put it into words. I struggled with the scene between Sanji and Liam, even though I had it planned for a long time. This is when Sanji allows himself to let go of Zoro, even in his thoughts. I hope you felt his torment and need to move on.