Chapter 67

In all tenses

Liam emerged from the forest and spotted the Sunny hidden in the small cove on the beach. At the start of the afternoon, the late season sun was still quite present and the air was pleasant. The young man quickened his pace without thinking. Seeing the outline of the ship around the corner was something unreal straight out of his memories. They were back.

When he had returned to All Blue after spending the morning at sea, he had pushed open the back door of the restaurant to find that lunch service was almost over. He had wanted to confirm with the owner the order for milk and cream that he had to pick up from a storekeeper but to his surprise, Sanji had told him that Elio would take care of it. The latter had frowned upon hearing it but he hadn't flinched and when Liam had seen the satisfied smile of the blond, he had guessed that the sous-chef was once again suffering the vengeance of his boss after provoking him.

He had been about to turn back to suggest that Amy leave early for Basterl when Sanji had grabbed a still steaming piece of seafood sauerkraut to give it to him. In front of his smile, still radiant when his fingers had brushed against his own when he had given him the plate, Liam had felt his heart skip a beat before regaining his composure. Sanji had then accompanied him to the terrace to smoke a cigarette and that's where he had told him of the unexpected return of the Straw Hat crew. The scientist had smiled at this news, sincerely happy for the cook. At the same time, he couldn't help but note that what he had observed wasn't unfounded though: if Sanji was so radiant, it wasn't by chance and above all, it had nothing to do with him.

He had quickly finished his plate and decided to pass by the Sunny just as quickly: despite the events of the last weeks between him and the All Blue's cook, he was really looking forward to the crew's return. And it wasn't just the thought of Sanji being able to see his friends again, knowing how much he had missed them, but also for himself. Indeed, he felt really grateful towards each of the crewmembers who, through their presence, had helped him to perfect his knowledge of the All Blue and made him able to protect it today.

Arriving near the ship, Liam jumped nimbly onto the deck and walked on the green grass of the Sunny. Immediately, the captain of the crew saw him and waved from his chair, visibly cheerful.

"Hey, Liam! You're here, that's great!"

"Sanji told us you're pretty busy right now," Franky explained from the table where the crew was finishing lunch. "We didn't know if you could come by."

"Yeah, I repaired an underwater alarm this morning at sea and I need to go to Basterl this afternoon but when I knew you were here, I couldn't not come," the young man replied with a smile as he reached them.

Liam hugged Nami and Robin then Usopp, Franky and Brook stood up for a friendly hug. He then exchanged a simple nod with the swordsman and in the end, Chopper jumped into his arms, beaming.

"Lily promised she'd let you know as soon as she saw you!"

"Actually, it was Sanji who told me," the scientist said while the little reindeer pushed him towards the table so that he took a chair next to him. "I passed by the All Blue on the way back."

"Is he still cooking?" Usopp asked when he had settled down.

"Yes, but the service was almost over. I guess he'll come see you a little later; he wants the supplies ready so you can have your meals at the All Blue starting tomorrow."

"It's gonna be so good!" Franky was already ready for the feast.

"What a joy to see you again, dear Liam!" Brook rejoiced. "We have sorely missed your knowledge and inventiveness on many occasions!"

"Really?" The dark-haired man wondered.

"The detectors have been damaged several times due to storms," Nami agreed. "We spent a lot of time trying to fix them."

"Your precision would have been very useful regarding their programming," Robin added.

"We did our best, bro, but your calculations are super complicated!"

"You shouldn't have gone to such trouble." Liam was embarrassed.

"What are you talking about? We were happy to find a way back here!" Usopp pointed out to him.

"Ah, well, when you put it that way…"

"Hey, Liam, do you know Malek?! He's our cook!" Luffy chimed in, pointing to the young man who was rushing down the steps towards them, a tray of cocktails in his hand. "Malek, it's Liam, he found the doors!" He then added for the cook, excited.

Malek immediately approached the newcomer, also delighted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, everyone has told me a lot about you!"

"Oh, so have I! Well, sort of… I saw your wanted poster," the scientist then clarified.

At these words, Malek froze to stare at him. "I have a wanted poster?!"

"Um, yeah… It was in the newspaper a few weeks ago."

"You're an official member of the Straw Hat Pirates now!" Luffy screamed, overjoyed.

"Congratulations, bro!" The cyborg gave his friend a huge slap on the back which almost made him fall backwards while Chopper, Brook and Usopp congratulated him warmly in turn. For his part, the cook seemed mostly disconcerted and he finally gave his cocktails, visibly anxious. "I didn't think it'd happen so quickly," he admitted as he placed the glass down for the swordsman. "I hope it won't be a problem for Shuri and the others on Cartaga…"

"The Marine has never tried to put pressure on our families to capture us until now; there's no reason why this should be different," Nami pointed out.

"You'll just have to be as discreet as possible when you go back," Robin agreed.

"I don't really have a choice now anyway…" He then turned again to their guest with a new smile. "I'm sorry, I'm losing my good manners! Do you wanna drink something?"

"Oh no, don't bother," Liam declined politely.

"You gotta try Malek's cocktails!" Usopp insisted. "They're divine!"

"A true gift from heaven," the musician approved, delicately drinking the first sips of his.

"That's very nice but I've already eaten at the All Blue…"

Franky burst out laughing. "Hey, I guess when you get used to being served by Sanji morning, noon and night, you get fussy!"

"I understand then," Malek agreed, falsely pained.

"N-No! Sanji doesn't… He wasn't my personal cook," the dark-haired man stammered. "It's true that I've enjoyed his cooking very often but… I'll be delighted to taste your cocktails," he finally said to the cook, his cheeks red.

"Relax, we know what it's like," Usopp reassured him, misunderstanding his distress. "When you eat Sanji's food for two years, you feel like you have the best restaurant in the world at home! It's hard to eat anything else afterwards…"

The boys around the table nodded emphatically.

"You can't imagine how much we suffered before finding Malek," the sniper added, clasping his hands towards his friend to bow, "Without him, we'd have been dead and buried a long time ago!"

The man rolled his eyes, amused, before returning his attention to the scientist. "So, what will it be, Liam? Amaretto, vodka, margarita?"

"I'll let you surprise me," the young man decided after a second of reflection. "I don't really like vodka though…"

"All right! I'll be right back!"

Malek walked back towards the galley and Liam followed him with his eyes until he disappeared upstairs. He then noticed that the crew was also watching the cook. "He seems… nice," he said after a moment.

"A real gem," Nami affirmed while sipping her orange-colored cocktail.

"We were lucky to find him," Franky agreed.

"And he's a very good archer!" Chopper chimed in, removing the straw from his mouth. "He shoots very fast and very far!"

"It wasn't easy to take over Sanji's position but he did very well," Robin said.

"Our two cooks are fundamentally different but equally talented," Brook added, observing the blue tint of his own drink.

"How did Sanji take it, by the way?" Usopp wanted to know, embarrassed. "You know, we didn't want to recruit a new cook, especially since he's still part of the crew, but circumstances were-

"Don't worry, he was actually quite relieved to know," Liam cut him short to reassure them. "He didn't want you to get sick from the food."

"It's really Sanji-kun to care about us when it's about him," the navigator noted, shaking her head.

"Are you sure he wasn't angry?" Chopper asked all the same, concerned.

"I am. I was there when he discovered the newspaper and I think he was sincere. He had this… this look. Assured and confident. Clear and determined. Like nothing else mattered."

A small silence greeted his statement and Liam shifted in his chair, uneasy.

"This altruism describes our cook perfectly," Robin finally agreed.

"Sanji's quite a man," Usopp sighed dreamily, "He really deserves for his restaurant to be successful…"

While all his friends nodded in agreement, Malek returned with a glass which he placed in front of the scientist. "A Margarita sweetened with maple syrup!" He proudly showed him. "It's a recipe of my invention, an original sweet and sour combination!"

"It looks delicious." The dark-haired man thanked him and grabbed his glass.

"By the way, Liam, Sanji told us that you're bringing back the best food in the Grand Line through the doors now!" Luffy was enthused again. "You gotta show me the meat door!"

"Well… He and Zeff have built partnerships with several storekeepers in the region and I make sure that the transport is carried out as well as possible," the young man clarified.

"That's awesome!" The captain shouted louder, "The meat door, is that the one you're going to later? Can I come with you?!"

"It's not; it's our cheese suppliers who are in Basterl and I'm also going with Amy so she can take advantage of the market. The door for meat is a little further…"

"Luffy, Sanji-kun said he was in charge of managing the stocks; don't bother Liam," Nami reproached him.

"Malek and Sanji will both cook for us!" Chopper rejoiced as the cook took a seat with them around the table, favoring him with a smile as he did so.

"Well, we can say we're lucky!" Franky agreed, emptying his glass with enthusiasm.

Liam also smiled in front of the characteristic attitude of the crew and he took advantage of their cheerful chatter to taste his cocktail. It was indeed delicious, both subtle but enhanced by the contrast of the salt frosted on the rim of his glass and the sweetness of the maple syrup.

The scientist let his gaze wander around the table. Aside from Malek, whom he had never seen before, the last two years had brought noticeable physical changes to most of the blond's companions. Yet for one in particular, this time seemed to have almost transformed him into a different person.

His attention inevitably focused on the only member of the crew who hadn't opened his mouth since his arrival. His different set of clothes revealed his old scar and the new one that now adorned his eye both attested to the harshness of his journey. His aura seemed even more formidable than before now.

Zoro was sitting at the end of the table. His eyes were fixed on the sea and he seemed to direct his thoughts to his inner world. He wasn't participating in the discussion and he wasn't looking at him either. Liam quickly looked away when he noticed what he was doing. He had felt the swordsman's attention on him when he had turned up on the Sunny and then they had simply greeted each other before the scientist had sat down next to Chopper and Usopp. Then, he had absolutely not tried to prolong their exchange and Zoro hadn't pretended to really follow what he was saying.

For his part, Liam was too embarrassed. He had no idea if Zoro and Sanji had talked and he even prayed that the fencer will never know anything about what had happened between them. Although the two men were no longer together, Liam knew the feelings, if not the affection, that Sanji still had for the swordsman and under no circumstances Liam wanted to suffer his cold and impassive gaze. Reminding him how stupid he had been to imagine he could take his place in Sanji's heart.

"Do you have a new headset, Liam?"

The little reindeer's voice abruptly brought the scientist out of his thoughts and he turned towards him to resume the thread of the conversation.

"Um, yes. With the sale of my alarms, I was able to buy much newer equipment," he showed him, removing it from his neck.

"It looks very comfortable," Usopp noted while also leaning over the object.

"I can hear the variations of a sound over a very wide frequency," the young man explained. "It also allows me to detect oscillations under the sea, which is very convenient for setting alarms."

"The poor Den-Den Mushi we used for transmissions could really use some maintenance," Franky sighed. "We left it on all the time and it's super exhausted!"

"It has trouble keeping his eyes open despite being plugged in," the cook agreed, grimacing.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Liam reassured them. "I'll take care of it when I get back to All Blue in a couple of days. First, I need to complete an experiment on Basterl."

"By the way, we heard you've become a real celebrity in the scientific world," Nami pointed out.

"L-Let's not exaggerate; it's not much," the man tried to play down, his cheeks red again.

"Still, marketing your alarms is no small thing!" Usopp congratulated him.

"And conducting research at Basterl University is just as prestigious," Robin noted, "They are undeniable experts in acoustic matters."

"They are." The scientist agreed, "I was very lucky that they noticed me and it was thanks to the work of Sanji and Zeff that brought All Blue to light…"

"I hope you told them that some discoveries were made in collaboration," Nami reminded him, her eyes shining with greed.

"Oh yes, don't worry! I didn't give yours and Robin's names to save you trouble but as soon as I have something published, I can mention you!" He assured her.

"We have pen names we've already used for a previous article; you can use them without problems," the navigator offered him.

"Are you gonna write an article?" Chopper asked him admiringly.

"Well, it's in the works," Liam admitted. "The team I work with regularly publishes in a trade journal and they decided to do their next paper on the All Blue's doors."

"What excellent news!" Brook rejoiced, "This journal must be read by many scientists across the Grand Line!"

"I'm a little stressed about this," the young man admitted with a nervous laugh. "Since I'm the leading expert in the field, they want me to write the majority of the article…"

"What's the problem?" Malek wondered. "It's perfect for you to make yourself known!"

"Obviously, but we're talking about twenty pages and I've never published anything before," the scientist said, wincing. "I'm afraid I don't know how to do it…"

"No one knows these doors better than you," Usopp pointed out to him. "You're the one who discovered them!"

"You are the first who figured out how it works," Robin encouraged him in turn.

"And don't forget that you have contributors to help you!" The navigator reminded him with a wink.

"With all the new data we've collected, you'll have enough to write your article and many others!" Franky reassured him.

"You are really great, thank you…"

Liam looked at each member of the crew, grateful, before savoring the rest of his drink. He then turned to Luffy who was trying to suck up new drops of his drink with his straw even though he had already emptied his glass several minutes ago.

"I guess Sanji already asked you but I'd also like to know. Who do you know who works for the Revolutionary Army?" He asked him, curious.

"The what Army?" The straw hat boy repeated, raising his head with his eyes wide.

"The Revolutionary Army is both a movement and a powerful independent military organization that opposes the actions and doctrine of the World Government," Robin replied.

"What does this have to do with Sanji-bro?" Franky was surprised.

"He didn't tell us anything," Nami added, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, uh…" Liam bit his lip, suddenly embarrassed. He hadn't planned to be the one to broach the subject first with the Straw Hats, but since he had started bringing it up, he couldn't go back. "About a month ago, Sanji met a… member of this organization. Well, we think. He gave him his card and made it clear that he knew Luffy."

The crew turned to his captain who shrugged his shoulders. "What's this guy like?" He wanted to know.

"Tall, blond, fast, very strong," Liam listed. "He also uses Haki perfectly according to Sanji. He didn't feel like he had ever seen him so we assumed you knew this guy before you met Sanji."

"That doesn't ring a bell," Nami muttered, searching through her memory.

"Me neither," Usopp said after a few moments."

They glanced at Zoro who shook his head negatively and then turned their attention back to the captain.

"Don't know him!" He said. "How did Sanji meet him?"

"On Basterl. He came across these guys who set a trap for him and that's when he appeared. He left immediately afterwards and didn't give his identity."

"Sanji was attacked?" Malek said, intrigued.

"Is it because of the status of the island?" Brook asked.

Liam searched for words for a second, embarrassed. "Well, since All Blue claimed its independence, it hasn't been smooth sailing every day, but that had nothing to do with it. It was a former customer who was unpleasant towards Amy and Sanji put him in his place. He didn't like being humiliated in front of everyone and he wanted revenge… He was also in contact with people who recognized Sanji so he wanted to take advantage of his bounty."

"What happened?" Nami wanted to know, worried.

Liam actually grimaced this time. He knew the blond wouldn't appreciate it if his friends pitied him. Yet the scientist didn't want to minimize the incident which had almost cost the blond his life. "They… had weapons. And there were many of them, he was alone. Fortunately, this man was here," he replied cautiously.

"They ganged up on him," Usopp immediately figured out grimly. "All this for a bruised ego! Either way, they really are stupid. Sanji's bounty is only collected if he's alive, that's his particularity! How could they not know!"

"I don't know if the bounty was that important," Liam admitted, lowering his voice. "They had also heard rumors and… let's say that must have counted in the way they treated him," he added quickly, his eyes unable to help but rest for a second on the swordsman who stared back at him without blinking.

His gesture didn't escape the other members of the crew either, who shared an indignant look.

"Sanji-bro is super strong; he must have hurt them real bad!" Franky affirmed, his voice vibrating with anger.

"Whatever their initial goal, this attack must have simply reinforced our friend's convictions," Brook agreed.

"He has no apparent injuries today," Chopper remembered, still worried.

"He healed very quickly!" The dark-haired man instantly replied to reassure them. "I had to insist that he see a doctor but his recovery was really quick. His chest and back injuries disappeared in just two days! Those on his ankle and eyebrows were the most important but I took care of them every day!"

Liam bit his tongue as soon as the words escaped him but it was too late. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice his somewhat too marked devotion. They were probably still under the shock of the attack the cook had been the victim of.

"I'm so relieved he pulled through," Usopp finally sighed.

"This doesn't reveal the identity of this mysterious stranger though," Robin pointed out.

"Let's give him thanks for stepping in anyway," Brook said.

Everyone approved and each silently thanked Providence for intervening to protect their friend.

The conversation then resumed slowly among the crew but for his part, Liam took a few extra seconds to allow himself to think about the one who still filled his every moment with his presence. Over the last two years, he had witnessed the cook's boundless attachment to his companions and today, he saw how this esteem was mutual. Whether it was in their shared past through the trials they had faced, whether it was today when they had learned the endurance and courage that Sanji showed every day to protect his dream, whether it was the confidence that they felt towards him for projects he would like to pursue in the future. Their admiration and respect were palpable.

This aspect warmed his heart as much as it chilled his bones. Indeed, this image reinforced his initial impression and proved once again how much Sanji was more than perfect in his eyes. And as a result, how could he ever give up on him?

"It's probably not so easy to protect All Blue. Between pirates, idiots and envious people, its desire for independence has only left it all the more exposed."

Nami's remark forced the scientist to emerge from his thoughts and he nodded in agreement. "That's why I work a lot on the alarms and why Sanji is keen to establish all these partnerships. For the moment, the customers remain positive and the press articles don't mention any security problems; that's the most important."

"This must have been insane work," Malek murmured. "Doing all this with such a small team… It's downright superhuman…"

"Sanji's the best!" Luffy declared, delighted. "I can't wait for him to cook all these meats for my wedding and kick these bastards' asses!"

At these words, Liam stared at the straw hat boy. "You're getting married?" He asked him, surprised.

Usopp nodded while draining the last drops of his cocktails, "That's why we came back here. Nami didn't want to get married anywhere and All Blue is the closest thing to home for all of us now."

"Wow. Congratulations."

"By the way, Liam, is the East Blue door still functional?" The navigator asked. The scientist took a second to think. "I think so. We don't use it often but there's no reason for it to stop working; the conditions are quite stable over there."

"Perfect. I really wish my sister could attend the ceremony," she explained. "If we send a News Coo from the door, it shouldn't take more than a few days to reach Conomi Islands."

"No problem," the dark-haired man agreed. "Have you already set a date?"

"Not yet." The young woman sighed, "There are still a few details to be worked out."

"Besides, do you have someone who performs weddings around here?" Franky wanted to know. "A mayor? A captain?"

"Um… I don't think so," Liam admitted.

"I have someone in mind but it might be tricky," the navigator chimed in.

"Who?" Usopp asked, intrigued.

The young woman turned to the scientist again, determined. "Liam, are any of the identified doors close to the Kingdom of Alabasta?"

I thought that Liam's outside point of view could be interesting to highlight everyone's positions. Now we're ready for what comes next!