.:Chapter 25 - Baking:.


Sanji wanted nothing more than to return to the Sunny. For the first time since he left Zou, he felt almost in control of his own life again.

So, of course Big Mom chose to chase after them.

Of course her Seducing Woods had to cause problems.

And of course Charlotte Pudding had to show up, her sister – and Bege's wife – Chiffon at her side as they flew alongside the Straw Hats atop Rabian. On the one hand, Sanji was ecstatic that she was unharmed and safe after that whole chateau-toppling fiasco at the tea party. On the other hand, there was no way she was here to exchange pleasantries and wish them well on their way. Hell, he still didn't know whose side of the aisle she stood on. But Chiffon at least was an ally, and they clearly had something to say.

Pudding and Luffy were growling at each other. Back and forth. Luffy demanding she fight him, and Pudding demanding he shut up and listen to what she had to say. Whenever she locked eyes with Sanji, however, she seemed to stumble over her words.

"Pft. What's her deal?" Zoro scowled.

Robin pressed her lips together, and Franky chuckled. "She's back for more Sanji, bro." The swordsman glowered at him.

"Get it together, Pudding," Chiffon told her. Pudding shook her head, pigtails flailing.

"Right. Um, Sanji…" she started again.

Did she need something from him? He smiled delicately at the girl. "Yes, Pudding?"

"You… You…" She seemed be getting redder the longer he looked at her.

Sanji frowned. "I…?"

At peak blush, she exploded. "YOU'RE USELESS! YOU DESERVE DEATH, YOU MISERABLE IDIOTS!"

Usopp gawked.

"EVEN IF YOU DO MAKE IT OUT TO SEA, MAMA WILL HUNT YOU DOWN IN COLD BLOOD AND YOU'LL ALL SINK INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS ~AHAHAHA!"

"Hey, what did you just say?!" Luffy growled at the same time Chiffon snapped at her to get a grip.

Pudding cried, "What am I saying?! You're right – I'm sorry!"

"Sheesh," Usopp muttered.

Luffy tilted his head. "Yeah, I still don't get her. It was like she wanted to be a jerk, but also wanted to help." He picked at his nose. "I wished she'd just made up her mind."

"It seems she's not sure what she wants herself," Robin surmised gently.

"Yeah, she didn't get much better as far as I saw," Nami commented with a sigh. Leave it to Sanji to attract the crazy ones (she side-eyed a pouting Zoro, knowing he'd be more than willing to snap at any given moment).

"Listen," Chiffon told them instead, "Mama believes you guys stole her big Wedding Cake. She's completely fixated on that idea right now. As it stands, Mama would chase you to the ends of the world just to get one bite of that sweet dessert."

Ah, that was why she was chasing them first then.

"Why did she think we had it to begin with?" Nami said. "It still makes no sense."

"Unless someone told her that we did," Brook countered.

"Exactly," Pudding growled and giggled at the same time. "So give up, Sanji! Come stand at my side and savor this momentous occasion with me!" Sanji stared at her, one curly eyebrow quirked up. "We'll watch your friends perish at Mama's hands! Muaha—"

"What is your deal?!" Chiffon butted in again, making Pudding scream and hide behind her hands.

Luffy glared. "If you came here to torture us you can get lost!"

"Wait a minute," Chiffon pleaded. "Pudding told me that Black Leg Sanji was really good at making sweets."

"Uh huh," Sanji nodded absently. "But I'm first class at anything I make."

Now if he could apply that confidence to the rest of his life… The Straw Hats thought.

"That's perfect, because you have to help us bake a cake. The exact one Mama wants so we can stop her. Then we'll help all of you escape in return."

"HA! Who knows if we'll survive or not," Pudding added with a wave of her hand. "But I'll make one thing clear – I'm not doing this for you. It's sheer luck that the cake I wanted to bake is the same one Mama craves. A-And I just passed by this area by coincidence! I didn't know you people would be around…"

Sanji stared at Pudding, completely confused.

"So, don't go thinking I came all the way here to stop her because I didn't wanna see you all die – you understand me, Sanjiiiii?!" Then she squealed with a blush and hid her face.

"That wasn't very convincing," Usopp mumbled. "Worst lie she's told yet."

She's all over the place, Sanji thought. Everyone could see that.

"Her impressive acting skills are rendered useless when Sanji is around," said Robin. "He's made her want to be honest, but I'm certain she doesn't quite know what that looks like for her yet. It's interesting."

"Uh, anyway, back to business…" Sanji cleared his throat. "So…where can we bake this cake?"

Chiffon told them of their plan. If she, Pudding, and Sanji headed to Chocolat Town immediately, the Straw Hats would return to the Sunny and head for Cacao Island, where the town was located. Sanji's group would sail the cake halfway to meet them, intercepting Big Mom with the dessert she was craving. While she was distracted, Sanji could board the ship with his crew and get away with them.

"Nothing short of a perfect cake will put an end to this rampage," Jinbei warned them.

Sanji chuckled. He guessed he had no choice then. "Luffy…" The cook smiled confidently at his captain. "I'll meet up with you at sea!"

Luffy smiled back. "That one's a promise, Sanji!"

During their flight to Cacao Island on the magic carpet, Pudding continued to jump back and forth from sweet to sour, unable to find the balance she obviously wanted. However, every time Sanji looked at her or smiled, her cheeks flushed and her eyes turned to hearts.

"Sanji's turned her into himself," Chopper said.

"Except a little more insane," Usopp added. "And I didn't think that was possible."

Sanji's memories spun a rapid tale of the events that transpired in the baking process. From sneaking into the kitchen, to Sanji reconstructing the perfect diagram of Big Mom's wedding cake, much to all the helping cooks' shock.

"Wait. Did he just re-create the structure of Big Mom's cake perfectly?" Nami questioned. "Is that what Chiffon is saying he did?!"

"Sanji's palate is so advanced he made an entire diagram by smell," Chopper said, awed.

"I had no idea the nose could be so powerful," Brook hummed. "Of course, I don't have a nose, so…~Yoho!"

"Alright, snap to it!" Pudding trilled, appearing with a giant ladle, a flouncing skirt, and apron with an extra-large chef hat to match. "Every minute counts!"

Sanji's heart eyes popped out of his head. "Woah! Pudding looks so cute as a cook!"

"Pft." Zoro rolled his eye. "Any woman would look 'cute as a cook' to that love-sick doofus."

Nami patted his mossy head. "Now, now."

"We could get you a chef outfit, Zoro," Robin teased.

"Yeah, bro," Franky smirked. "Frilly apron and all."

"Shut up," Zoro tsk'd at them, making everyone laugh. Poor guy couldn't catch a break, and now even Robin was making fun of him. Couldn't they see how stupid this all was?

Sanji's compliment made Pudding collapse with redness. The helpers started to praise what a good husband Sanji was, which confused him at first. This snapped Pudding back to reality and she ushered him closer to whisper at him that she edited their memories so they wouldn't know about the whole wedding fiasco. Meaning, she and Sanji would have to work like they were husband and wife.

"How convenient for her…" Zoro all but growled. Nami rubbed his shoulder this time, sympathetic despite all the teasing.

Through the snippets of their time baking, Pudding was constantly fawning over Sanji, who – although was aware enough to notice her strange behavior – didn't understand it at all. It didn't matter to him, though. Whatever she was struggling with internally he would just be kind and supportive.

Robin chuckled. "As oblivious as he is sweet."

Zoro's gaze softened. Yeah, fine. He supposed his cook kind of endeared him sometimes. Whatever.

Despite their deadline and everyone adamant the process needed to be sped up somehow, Sanji refused to cut corners for the sake of time. If he was going to do it, he was going to do it right. There were no shortcuts to perfection, and perfection was what Sanji was going to serve Big Mom. There was no doubt in his mind how happy she'd be when tasting this dessert, and the thought – despite everything – made him smile. He couldn't help it.

Here someone was on a destructive rampage for food. She was hungry and desperate, and no amount of violence could stop her. Only the strength of good food.

This was a battle Sanji knew how to fight, and one only he could take on. This was his area of expertise, after all. Like second nature. Years of perfecting his craft – a craft so many had tried to shame him for – always came back to aid him in protecting his friends.

The kitchen was his battlefield.

And he was going to win.

"Sanji was made for this moment," Chopper said with a proud little smile and stars in his eyes.

"You know, Judge spent years trying to beat Sanji's passion for cooking and his kindness out of him," Nami said, sad but intrigued. "Yet, time and time again, it's those very things that have helped him survive."

Zoro tilted his head down, a lopsided smirk appearing beneath shadowed eyes. "In a way, the cook can make allies almost as well as Luffy."

Midway through the process, however, one of the Charlotte siblings – Brûlée – called Pudding to inform her of the family's own plan. That even if the Straw Hats made it to Cacao Island, their captain most certainly would not. Luffy was currently fighting Katakuri in the mirror world. Since the mirror on their ship was shattered, they had to go to Cacao Island in hopes that Luffy would pop up there from a mirror, and the Charlottes would make sure they had the only one.

"That had been a fight for the record books, hadn't it?" Brook said, reminiscing with the Whole Cake rescue team. It wasn't a happy reminiscing, but still. They had made it, at least.

"Big brother has never lost a single fight in his whole life," Pudding was trying to tell Sanji afterward, who didn't seem as concerned as she though he should be. The curly-browed cook kept casually stirring with a small smile plastered to his face.

"Then it's a special occasion," he finally said.

"Huh?"

Sanji grinned over his shoulder. "He's about to lose for the first time."

The Straw Hats smirked knowingly, and Luffy laughed. "He was right about that!"

With only a few hiccups to be overcome, and with Sanji at the reigns, the freshly baked cake was aboard its ship and sailing smoothly forward to meet up with the Straw Hats and Big Mom.

However, Bege had other plans. He tried to convince them to add poison to the cake to take out Big Mom, and Sanji put his foot down, flaming and all. Sanji had full confidence his cake would stop her in her path, and he forced Bege to try some to prove his point.

It had worked.

Bege admittedly realized there didn't need to be a Plan B, but at the same time he had never doubted it would stop her rampage. Bege was more of a big picture type guy, which Sanji respected. Because maybe it was the wise strategy to take. Maybe sabotage when an emperor was at their most vulnerable was how everyone should think. But Sanji…

Sanji took charge, more determined than ever.

"Here's the deal – assassinate whoever you want but wait until my guest is served and the meal is complete. If someone is hungry then I feed them – that is my duty as a chef!"

Sanji wouldn't allow anyone to die by food… He just wouldn't.

Food wasn't for death. It was for life.

The Straw Hats watched their stubbornly benevolent chef with fondness in their eyes.

No one dared speak against the Straw Hat cook, and soon the cake was completed. Perfect, and the with time to spare.

Sanji, basking in the glow of being able to cook and make a difference for the first time in a while, addressed his two helpers with endearing softness. "By the way, Pudding and Chiffon…" Covered in frosting and genuinely smiling, Sanji raised his arms out in appreciation. "Couldn't have done it without you! Thanks a ton! Seriously, with this cake I'll definitely save my friends." His boyish smile came out at that.

And even the Straw Hats were fawning over him at how much he looked like his younger self in that moment.

Then of course – flustered – evil Pudding was in his face, laughing maniacally.

"There's no way you know that for sure! Yeah, the cake is finished and all, but big whoop! I hate to tell ya, but your friends might be dead already. Besides, who knows if Mama will like the cake or not. Honestly, this seems like a big waste of time bringing this SORRY ASS EXCUSE of a cake to her, Sanji."

"Can't she shut up," Zoro grumbled. "Whatever her issue is, she'll just put more negativity in the cook's head."

"Zoro, we've discussed this already," Nami sighed. "She's trying…"

"Like I give a shit."

Luffy peeked over at his extra-grumpy first mate, pursing his lips seriously. "Man, you really don't like her. Does this have to do with her three eyes again? Because we should just ask her if she'll give you one," he suggested. "She doesn't seem to like having three very much anyway—"

"That's not the issue here, dammit!" Zoro yelled, while Usopp snorted.

Chiffon yelled at her, and Pudding squealed back to herself.

"Did I just let that slip?! Oh gosh, that came out wrong!"

Sanji blinked at the chaotic girl. However, he chose to take her words very seriously regardless.

"Whatever the case is," he said, somber, pulling out a smoke and his gold lighter. "It's too late to worry now."

"Clearly worried enough to need that nicotine," Usopp commented. "But hey, he's trying!"

Sanji walked to the edge of the ship and stared out at the horizon, hoping to see the Sunny any moment now. "Big Mom doesn't know what's coming her way," he said, a surge of confidence coursing through his veins as smoke billowed around him. "The greatest cake ever made!"

This whole experience had been a whirlwind for him, and there was so much he doubted. So much he was cautious about, even now. But this… This was his duty. This was what he had always been prepared for. There was no questioning it. He knew this for a fact. Because…

"Because my friends…" His eyes sparked alive. "My friends…believe in me!"

And he wasn't about to let them down. Not ever again!

"You could never let us down, Sanjiiii!" Chopper and Usopp cried together.

Franky, with his own tears streaming down his face, rubbed at his eyes with his giant arms. "The way this guy gets to me!" he sobbed.

Luffy cackled. "~Haha Let's go, Sanji!" Whole Cake was almost behind them for good!


lolllll Zoro please

We're wrapping up Whole Cake next chapter, which means one more personal appearance by the Vinsmokes! (Though they will continue to haunt Sanji forever.)