Chapter 69
Fairy tale
The Straw Hat Pirates had settled on the terrace of the All Blue to enjoy a gourmet snack despite the increasingly gray clouds in the sky. On this occasion, Nami had wanted everyone to be present to start organizing the major event that had brought them together. She had also invited Lily and Amy to join them, Liam being busy at sea.
At the end of the afternoon, everyone was impatiently awaiting her while Sanji and Malek were still in the kitchen to make some pastries and drinks. Nami finally appeared, dragging in her wake a grumpy swordsman whom she had forced to come.
As soon as she arrived, she took place alongside Luffy and Usopp while Zoro dropped into a seat between Chopper and Amy, startling her.
"We finally determined the date of the wedding!" The redhead immediately said with a satisfied smile. "Thanks to Liam's new transmitters, I didn't have too much trouble reaching Vivi and she'll be able to celebrate it. As a princess, she can do it and I really wish it was her rather than a stranger."
"Awesome! We're gonna see Vivi!" The captain shouted with joy.
"It's been so long!" Chopper rejoiced.
"It's gonna be strange," Usopp agreed.
"She's a princess who looks really super!" Franky got enthused in turn.
"Being united for life by one of the greatest personalities of the Alabasta Kingdom is worthy of a fairy tale," Brook noted dreamily.
"Now we just have to send out the official invitations," the navigator continued. "Nojiko assured me that she'd come too and I'd like her to be my second best woman."
"What date did you choose?" Robin asked her.
"I thought we'd still need time to organize so I'll give us a month," the young woman replied.
"A fall wedding will be magnificent," Lily affirmed, "The colors at this time of the year are splendid."
"Well, we shouldn't waste time then!"
At these words, the crew turned to Malek who was coming out of the All Blue kitchen, a tray full of colorful drinks in hand. A second later, Sanji did the same, his own tray overflowing with pastries, each more tempting than the last.
"The food!" Luffy exulted.
"A month won't be too long to finalize the menu and test it," the dark-haired cook continued as he began to give his drinks.
"We'll need to start the tests very quickly, Nami-san," Sanji agreed as he placed a piece of Forêt Noire in front of her. "I've already thought about several cakes and different types of meals!"
"I can taste them, Sanji!" His captain immediately offered, his eyes shining.
"Everyone knows what you like, there's no reason to experiment for you," the blond sharply replied as he continued to give his pastries to Robin, Lily and Amy.
"You can choose cocktails if you want," Malek offered him to compensate as he handed him a glass of banana and mango nectar. "Yeah!"
The cook smiled and gave his cocktail to Zoro before leaning towards Amy.
"I didn't know what you like so I made a cranberry and maracuja cocktail and one with raspberry and lychee juice. What do you prefer?"
The girl blushed while shaking her head and Malek raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you don't like sugar? I can make a cocktail like Zoro's but without alcohol," he then suggested.
"N-No," she stammered, glancing at the swordsman to her left who was drinking in silence without looking at her.
"Don't be embarrassed." Robin encouraged her gently, leaning next to her while the conversation continued cheerfully around the table, "Malek's cocktails are the best they can be and since you know Sanji, you know that the chefs are committed to satisfying those they serve."
Amy bit her lip before nodding. Finally, she took a deep breath. "The… raspberry and lychee cocktail, please, sir."
Malek placed the cocktail down, grinning. "There you go, miss! Raspberry juice, lychee nectar, cane sugar and rose lemonade, the perfect mix to accompany this delicious slice of red fruit cheesecake! But do me a favor: don't be so formal."
The young waitress blushed even more and grabbed her straw to better hide in her glass. Sensing her confusion, Malek didn't insist and walked away in a good mood to finish his distribution while Robin smiled kindly at their new friend.
A few moments later, everyone was served and the two cooks took a chair to sit down. Nami then began to give some directions as to what she wanted to be on the menu, with the straw hat boy always adding one or two additional ingredients.
After about ten minutes, the discussion shifted again towards the guests and Luffy suddenly slammed his fist on the table.
"We have to invite gramps!"
Usopp's eyes widened. "That incredibly strong guy from the Marine?"
"No way we're inviting a Vice-Admiral to our wedding," Nami interrupted.
"Well, he's family," Chopper pointed out.
"He's completely nuts," Sanji grumbled.
"He could disembark with officers despite the ceremony," Robin admitted.
Luffy started laughing. "It's true that gramps could do that! He's really weird sometimes!"
"Clearly. He tried to sink us when we left Water 7, saying that it was for our good," Franky grumbled.
"It's settled, no invitation for Garp," the navigator decided, crossing his name off her list. "We can still inform him if you want once everything is over," she suggested to her fiancé who approved with a grin.
While she was summarizing, the straw hat boy slammed his fist down on the table again. "Koby is a Marine but he's cool! I wanna invite Koby! Please, please, please!" He pleaded.
"It's true that he seems nice but he's under your grandfather's supervision," Nami reminded him with a sigh.
"Not to mention that he's hanging out with a pretty shady guy," Franky remembered.
"Oh, what if we invited Torao?!"
"You crazy?! You forgot what he did to Nami-san?!" Sanji immediately barked, furious. "If this guy shows up here, Warlord or not, I'll kick his ass all the way to Vorgo myself!"
"I agree about Koby if he knows how to keep the secret but not about Trafalgar," the navigator said. "Even if his bear was quite nice…" She then tapped her paper with her pencil before turning to Lily. "You and Liam are obviously invited to the ceremony and the party," she stated.
"Thank you very much, Nami," the fisherwoman replied, touched.
"We can't invite everyone living in the All Blue for the ceremony but I was thinking of opening part of the party to the villagers who wish to come," the young woman continued. "Some of them welcomed us from the start and I discussed it with Luffy, he agreed," she added while the captain nodded eagerly.
"That's really generous of you."
"Perfect, it's settled! As for you, Amy, I wanted to know if you'd agree to be my bridesmaid?" The navigator asked while fixing her gaze on her. Amy widened her eyes as she was about to close her mouth on her last piece of cheesecake. She then carefully put down her spoon. "B-Bridesmaid? What is that?"
"It's a person who accompanies the bride during the ceremony!" Chopper explained with delight. "They take care of the bunch of flowers, the train, the wedding rings, that kind of thing. It's a very important person!"
"It's a great privilege," Lily agreed.
"Participating in the wedding of the future Pirate King and his navigator will be an event told from generation to generation," Brook assured her in a solemn tone. "It will be a highlight in History, a majestic, grandiose day, worthy of Olympus! The Gods themselves will examine our lovers and bless them for their entire lives and beyond! It will be the most overwhelming moment of their entire lives," he added with emotion.
"Ah, yeah, it's gonna be great!" Luffy added, enthralled by the lyrical flight of his musician.
Amy stared at them, visibly impressed, and Nami rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to them. Above all, it'll be my wedding and I'll be very happy to know you're here at that moment. Robin and Nojiko will be my best women but they'll have a lot of things to manage and I'd like to have someone who I can rely on constantly."
"I-I've never been a bridesmaid but I'll do my best…"
"I'm sure you'll do wonderfully," Nami reassured her, validating her proposal with satisfaction on her paper.
"I could lend you my book if you want!" The little reindeer immediately suggested to the intimated young girl. "That's very nice, thank you."
"I know that you're busy with your work at the All Blue in addition to making your jewelry so don't worry. You don't need to participate in the general organization," the redhead clarified, "Usopp, Chopper and Robin will only call on you when necessary."
"All right."
The navigator moved to a new page on her list. "Okay, let's recap everyone's missions. Malek and Sanji are in charge of food and drinks."
"Absolutely, Nami-san!" The blond frolicked next to her.
"You can count on us," the other cook agreed.
"Brook is responsible for the music and atmosphere during the ceremony and the party."
"From the most romantic ballad to the wildest rock," the skeleton confirmed.
"Franky, we need a ceremony location and a place to spend a pleasant evening knowing that it could be cold or rainy."
"No problem, Nami-sis! Tell me what you want and you'll get it!"
"Zoro, you're in charge of security during the day."
"Hm."
"And Usopp, Chopper and Robin take care of coordinating all the preparations. I leave the majority of the decisions to them although I'd like to choose some aspects directly with Robin," the young woman concluded while glancing at her friend who nodded in return.
"We won't disappoint you!" The little reindeer promised her.
"We've already started working on it," the sniper told her.
"What about me? What about me?" Luffy couldn't wait to know.
"You, you are the groom, you idiot," Sanji growled. "All you have to do that day is enjoy your luck, have fun and eat as much as you can."
"That's so awesome!" The straw hat boy yelled, wild with joy. Lily giggled and the crew happily finished eating amidst the noise of cutlery and everyone's ideas.
About twenty minutes later, Robin, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Franky and Brook decided to return to the Sunny while Malek and Nami chose to accompany Lily in her next deep sea fishing preparations. For her part, Amy went to join Zeff, Sam and Elio in Tori's orchards and Sanji took the opportunity to begin making the evening's dishes.
Arriving on the ship, Luffy wanted to get his own fishing equipment and Zoro ended up sacrificing himself to keep him company, the other members of the crew wanting to start working immediately on the tasks that the navigator had assigned to them.
This is how Brook and Franky chose to be alone to think about the music and the construction for the ceremony while for their part, Robin, Usopp and Chopper met in the library in order to refine the organization.
"We wrote down all our ideas in this notebook," the sniper proudly showed Robin once they were all seated. "What do you think?"
The young woman took the notebook her friend handed her and began to turn the pages.
"On the plus side, we'll just need to supervise some tasks," Usopp explained. "I'm not worried about the food, the music or the place. On the other hand, I think we'll have to make sure that Zoro won't fall asleep since he'll be in charge of security. Besides, I'm sure that he won't implement any strategy; he'll just grab his swords in case of problems. And if he takes care of intruders when they're just around the corner, it'll disrupt the ceremony. Luffy may be delighted but Nami will kill us…"
"He needs a team," Chopper suggested.
"I can't see Zoro leading a troop, even a military one," the sniper pointed out. The little reindeer nodded and his friend took a few moments to think. "Why don't we pair him with Liam?" He then suggested. "I think he can coordinate a team and people trust him. That way, the doors would be monitored and we could anticipate."
"Very good idea, we'll have to talk to him!" Chopper agreed, noting their new project carefully.
At this moment, Robin raised her head from her reading. "You have selected several games specific to weddings for entertainment but I'm unfamiliar with the activities associated with this type of ceremony. What do they consist of?" She asked them.
"The World Dance Tour aims to get people onto the dance floor!" The doctor explained excitedly. "We must form two concentric circles and turn while dancing in opposite directions. Each time Brook stops the music, the people facing each other will have to dance together for a while to various music like rock, tango or waltz!"
"It's an interesting icebreaker," the archaeologist commented.
"The footprint tree is an original way to offer a personalized souvenir to the bride and groom," Usopp explained in turn. "I'll show all the guests during the party a drawing of a tree trunk and its branches. With ink pads and a black felt pen, each guest will place their fingerprint on the tree, each print representing a leaf."
"And below each leaf, the guest will write their first name in small letters!" Chopper added, delighted.
"It's a very charming idea," Robin congratulated them.
"We don't wanna do the garter game," the sniper admitted. "You know, the traditional game where the bride's garter is up for auction. The men pay for the bride to pull up her dress and the women pay for it to come down and after a certain time, the man who has participated the most wins the right to remove the garter from the bride's leg."
"The money would have made Nami happy but we think that there'd be a real risk in playing this game with Brook and Sanji," the doctor continued seriously.
"It's better to avoid deaths that day," Usopp added, jaded.
"It certainly is," Robin laughed.
The sniper pointed to a page in his notebook then. "The real problem is the decoration," he showed her, sighing. "This part is really difficult, we looked at several catalogs but the possibilities are endless…"
"I think this is one of the things that Nami wants to check herself," her friend informed him.
"Honestly, we need her to," Usopp admitted.
Robin resumed reading and for a few minutes, the two young men simply whispered in a low voice. Finally, the archaeologist closed the notebook to return it to the sniper. "What about Luffy's bachelor party? I didn't see anything about it."
Usopp felt his jaw drop while Chopper stared at them, wide-eyed. "What is it?" He asked them.
"It's a sort of rite of passage for the future groom and bride in order to give them one last taste of the pleasures of single life," Robin explained. "The groom's male friends usually organize it while for the bride, it is her female friends."
"Did Nami choose something?" Chopper wanted to know, intrigued.
"Among other wellness and shopping experiences, our navigator expressed the desire to enjoy the services of a stripper," the archaeologist replied. "However, she has not yet chosen what type of costume he should wear: gladiator, worker or cowboy. She has already excluded pirates and marines," she clarified.
"You can do that?!" The little reindeer exclaimed, his cheeks red.
"Chopper, that's the goal," Usopp reminded him, "It's officially their last day of being single."
"Oh, that's right…"
"I'm surprised they don't talk about it in your book, we could have thought about it sooner." His friend grimaced again.
"I haven't finished reading it," the doctor apologized sheepishly.
"Anyway, let's forget the idea of striptease for Luffy…"
"Sports activities and challenges will probably be more suitable," Robin confirmed.
"We can dress up!" Chopper suggested. "Luffy loves costumes!"
"Very good idea," the archaeologist agreed, smiling.
Usopp shook his head before slowly reopening his notebook and grabbing a pen. "We're not done slaving away with this…"
In the unusual silence of his kitchen, Sanji peeled dozens of pears spread all over the worktop. With the new season, new fruits were added to the menu and for this evening, he wanted to serve clafoutis and jelly for the sauce dishes. Although he was drowning in work, some preparations were so familiar that he no longer really paid attention to them and the calm around him at that moment gave the atmosphere a pleasant feeling of relaxation. He wasn't often alone in the kitchen, but in those moments, he almost felt like he was resting.
And he really needed it. Despite his apparent calm, the blond actually felt the tension building up within him since the snippet of conversation he had with Zoro a few days earlier. In the presence of the other cooks and the crew, he managed to cover it up and the prospect of the upcoming wedding kept him busy enough, forcing him to think of something else in front of all the tasks he needed to accomplish.
Very quickly, Sanji had tried to talk to the swordsman again to make him clarify his thoughts, unable to accept this speech which had created more questions than answers within himself. In vain. And now, after several attempts, Zoro was deliberately avoiding him. That famous night, the surprise must have led the swordsman to indulge more than he would have liked and now he was on his guard. The cook had tried everything, from the purest provocation to the sincerest concern, but each time, Zoro had managed to slip through his fingers.
Sanji had been very angry until the swordsman's attitude forced him to question himself. And shock had quickly replaced rage when the blond had realized that he had acted without thinking when he had decided to corner the fencer to squeeze the cause of his troubles out of him. He had been stupid. He had behaved as if nothing had changed between them: he had provoked Zoro and waited for him to spill the beans. He had acted like he knew the swordsman well enough to see his true colors. As if two years hadn't passed. But Zoro had been quick to remind him of this crucial detail by acting the opposite of what Sanji had expected. His hesitant gaze and emotional replies had disconcerted the blond. And his last words had completely destabilized him.
This implicit encounter had triggered unbearable doubts. Had Zoro wanted to make him understand that a spark remained intact between them or, on the contrary, had he sought to show him that he had moved on and that this attitude no longer had any reason to exist? Was Zoro angry with him for relentlessly trying to squeeze the truth out of him? Would he blame Sanji if he stopped?
The cook had thought he was smarter than the swordsman but he was caught in his own trap and it was Zoro who was teaching him a lesson today. Indeed, Sanji had come to realize how absurd it was to pretend that nothing had ever happened between them. They couldn't start a conversation after a provocation two years of absence and silence later. Especially regarding the swordsman's distress, a subject which touched on his goal and pride.
He wasn't the person Zoro could naturally lean on now. Sanji had agreed to disappear from the picture and the fencer had continued his journey without him. No doubt he had adapted. Maybe he had found a new confidant. Maybe he had… replaced him.
Sanji shook his head. Given his own situation, he had no right to feel any jealousy towards someone who might not even exist. Indeed, given his personality, it was more likely that Zoro had found a solitary balance. But either way, the cook had been wrong to try to shake him with his countless questions. Zoro had asked him to respect his choice and his will and Sanji had stood firm for two years. He had felt real pride in it. Unfortunately, he had himself destroyed all his efforts when the Sunny had docked again on the All Blue.
He had shattered into pieces what they had patiently strived to maintain and for this reason, Sanji was particularly angry with himself. Zoro hadn't become the best swordsman in the world yet and hadn't he told the cook that he needed space to do it? That their relationship made him doubt himself? That it was undermining the purpose of his life? In these conditions, how could Sanji have thrown himself at him in the hope that the swordsman would bare his soul and confide his most painful secrets to him?
Actually, Sanji knew why he had acted this way, without any real consideration for the swordsman who was going through his own trials. Because yes, even if their relationship was distorted today, the blond remained convinced that Zoro carried a considerable burden that he had decided not to talk to anyone about. And the fact that Sanji had ignored this major element was unacceptable. Without meaning to, he had broken his promise to never get in his way.
And for what? he asked himself again as he watched the pears cooking with a bitter look. All because deep down, he always felt this invisible electric shock whenever he thought of the swordsman. This almost irrepressible impulse that he had long contained and tried to deny before it exploded in his face. Liam had paid the price and today, Sanji was doing it again. The cook was now forced to realize that he was actually only pursuing his own happiness without worrying about that of others. He had been terribly selfish. Once again.
As the pears slowly melted in his pot, Sanji suddenly promised himself that he would no longer try to impose his presence on the swordsman. If Zoro didn't want to talk to him or even approach him, it was his right. The blond was still his crewmate but as such, he didn't hold the key to his mind, and even less to his heart. So even if his tortured conscience was worried to see Zoro hurt and weakened, Sanji wasn't the one who would help him to make sense. Not this time.
Sanji put down his wooden spoon and wiped away the tear that threatened to escape before forcing himself to focus on his task, furious with himself. After all, it was his fault he was there. His fault if after all these months, nothing had really changed. His fault if he was still in so much pain. This hope that he hadn't had the strength to break at the time of their separation, he should have destroyed it the second he had known that the Sunny had reappeared on the All Blue. But he was weak. Without ever admitting it to himself, Sanji had maintained the ashes of a lost love which had been rekindled the very moment his gaze had met that of the swordsman again. He hadn't resisted.
And everything had gone crazy. Everything had slipped through his fingers. In his euphoria at seeing the crew again, he had imagined that the bond they had shared would be stronger than all the oceans and the New World combined. He had thought that time wouldn't matter. He had then neglected the first principle of love: blindness. He had forgotten that he didn't live in a fairy tale and that he couldn't make up for lost time. And now he sorely regretted it.
The next chapter is going to be rough. The first part is from Sanji's point of view and the second is from Zoro's. Are you ready?