The plan!

Hope you all enjoy!

Usopp POV

It is pretty subtle, all things considering. Usopp thinks that if it hadn't been, Luffy might have put his foot down on the whole thing. Not all of them are participating either, because well, subtility is needed and that kind of rules out Zoro and Luffy instantly. Chopper chooses not to participate either, wanting to remain a kind of neutral ground for his patient.

The rest of them take it slow, working around each other and Sanji's more-volatile-than-usual temper.

Usopp drops in with a bowl of attempted garlic potatoes for lunch. Sanji is doing his exercises for strengthening his residual limb, Chopper guiding him through the motions. Usopp puts the bowl down near his nakama and says, "I apologize in advance for the state of your spice rack." And then runs.

Sanji shouts after him, demanding to know what he'd done to his beloved spice rack.

Chopper can be heard yelling at him to calm down, and stop moving.

The demands to know what had happened turns into threats of what will happen to Usopp if the spice rack is not unharmed.

Usopp hauls himself into the crow's nest and spends a blissful evening with Zoro, safe from Sanji's wrath when he comes on deck for his walk later. The cook hisses and sputters and makes gestures of death threats at him when he notices him in the crow's nest.

Usopp pastes on his best, 'I'm innocent' smile, waves at Sanji and promptly hides from sight.

Robin slips in one night, with the novel they still haven't finished. She leaves the door open for a cool breeze and also so Zoro can eavesdrop on the book like he'd been doing since she started reading it for Sanji.

But if they're quiet, they can all hear her voice clearly as she reads.

It is pleasant. But the masterstroke of Robin's plan was bringing in her cup of coffee for her to enjoy while she read. She sips from it occasionally and, before she leaves for the night, says, "I do miss your coffee Sanji-san, it's not the same without the dollop of your love."

Needless to say, the cook had been over the moon as he apologized for not making her coffee and assuring her that he will do so very soon. And also, that he is so happy that Robin-chwan loves his love.

Usopp can hear Zoro scoff from outside the door, covering up Robin's response. But soon she comes out from the room, book under and arm and coffee in the other hand, smiling faintly. And Usopp thinks that it wasn't a lie at all.

Unsurprisingly Sanji had been in a fantastic mood for the next day or two during which Usopp took full advantage to get some more plans for the prosthetic pinned down.

Another day, Franky walks past the infirmary idly chatting to Nami, telling her that he thinks her bread-making skills are really coming along. Nami tells him that his last Sea-King broth was really tasty too, especially with the secret ingredient he had added.

Usopp, sketching in the corridor outside looks up as he hears a thump and the alarming creak of wood accompanying it.

Luffy in the meantime, seems to have taken it as his duty to accompany Sanji on his walks around the deck which have been getting longer and longer as his stamina rebuilds itself. He is a cheerful enough companion, not easily offended, and manages to be attentive without it seeming like pity.

Usopp can see that Sanji is grateful for all that he doesn't say. Letting himself lean on his captain if he's tired, or the pain gets too much for a moment.

Luffy chatters about anything and everything, walking them past the galley easily, waving at whoever is inside trying to puzzle out a recipe, but not stopping, intent on his chosen course. Sanji's shoulders, tense as they had approached the galley, relaxes as they go past. Usopp knows that Luffy had clocked it but their captain is as weirdly insightful as ever and doesn't say a word, continuing his story on their last attempts to fly kites.

Since their last attempt to fly kites had gone badly enough that Nami almost forbade kites entirely, the story is sufficient enough to keep their cook's attention.

Brook on the other hand, seems to have had a hidden repertoire of food songs, which he busted out at all hours of the day, naming delicious dishes or tantalizing desserts. There was even a literal ode to souffles. Naturally this plan backfired since it made all of them hungry for things that they couldn't have, mouths watering as visions of pork buns, and tiny lemon cupcakes, and crisp, refreshing drinks danced in front of their eyes, heaving dreamy sighs that traveling across the deck and often leaving Luffy groaning on the grass with a pitiful cry of meat.

He'd been very, very good these last few weeks, trying not to demand too much of their makeshift cooks. But mostly, trying not to let Sanji feel like he was letting his captain down. As such his daily cries of meat had been toned down to sotto voce whispers and only twice a day. Three times if he really missed it.

They'd learned quickly how to at least cook a roast well if not tasty but that was nothing on the amount of meat Luffy usually consumed.

They were all at least approaching the level of being able to cook to save their lives (excluding Luffy of course) but none of them were actually trained chefs with an inhuman amount of stamina and the ability to keep up with their captain's appetite.

They needed their cook back.

Luffy wasn't complaining, he never would in situations like this, but it didn't mean his stomach wasn't growling at odd hours.

Even Zoro had cut back on his training a little, half because they kept dragging him into the galley to help but also because without the benefit of the carefully tailored meals to keep up with his fully ridiculous training sessions, he was more likely to do himself harm.

And he had done it too. There'd been a marked increase in cramping and knots until the swordsman had pulled back his regime a little. Usopp might have made enough frowny faces at him until he did, but at least his ridiculously cool but also ridiculously stupid nakama had taken the hint.

But it all meant that they really, really needed their cook back. Usopp knows they can survive without him. But he also knows they can't thrive without him either. And on the Grand Line, remaining static is a death wish.

Usopp really hopes their plan works and Sanji comes back to himself.

He knows it won't be easy, but they're all there for him, for whatever he needs.

Let me know what you think!