Chapter 71

A matter of decision

Sanji had invited Nami to the wedding cake tasting as he had promised so that she could select the one that would sit on the buffet on the day of the ceremony. The navigator had asked Robin and Lily to assist her on this occasion and this is how the three young women met on a cloudy afternoon in the All Blue with a cook more than delighted to serve them.

"I have made several kinds of cakes." The blond greeted them as he harmoniously placed several plates on the large table he had set up, "You just need to choose your favorite and then I can adapt it with colors and decorations!"

"Everything looks delicious," Nami noted as she sat down, excited.

"Amy is really sorry not to be here," Robin told her while sitting down in turn.

"I knew she'd be busy, it's okay," the redhead said.

"Did she go back to Basterl's market?" Sanji asked, putting the ladies' cutlery and napkins.

"Yes, her stall was successful; she renewed the location," Lily told him.

"Her jewelry is amazing," the navigator affirmed while taking a look at the bracelet she had bought. "I'm sure that before long, she'll be quite famous!"

"Ladies, the tasting can begin," Sanji then said, bowing deeply before them. The three friends immediately turned their attention to the numerous delicacies on the table, their eyes shining.

"Which one should we start with?" The archaeologist asked.

"Whichever you want, Robin-chan! No flavor conflicts with another!"

"Let's try the croquembouches then," Nami decided. "I've always dreamed of tasting it!"

The cook did so immediately and a minute later, he perfectly positioned three small plates of croquembouches in front of his guests. As they grabbed their spoons with delight, the cook opened a recipe book to show them the different presentations.

"The croquembouche is a traditional wedding cake made with crunchy puffs pastry cream and caramelized sugar mounted in a cone," he explained while selecting the right page. "They're topped with a smooth vanilla cream but I can obviously create any other flavor!"

Lily was the first to swallow her mouthful. "My God, this is divine!" She exclaimed, totally charmed.

"Delicious and very elegant," Robin noted while observing the illustrations in the book.

"It's almost too beautiful to eat," Nami agreed while licking her spoon. "Are these real flowers?" She then asked, pointing to a photo.

"They're sugar flowers, Nami-san!" You can choose the shape and color!"

"I like the crunchy and aesthetic side of croquembouches," the young woman concluded before eyeing the next plates. Sanji caught her gaze and hurried to clear. "What do you want to taste, my dears?"

"Maybe this one," the archaeologist showed him. She pointed to a cake mounted on a multi-level display. "Classic wedding cakes!" The blond twirled, "Excellent choice, Robin-chan!" The blond cut several thin slices for each plate then placed them delicately in front of the girls.

"This cake can adapt to all your desires!" He got enthused, "Each layer can have a different taste and you can even add fruit, whipped cream or icings! Today, you'll have an exotic fruit mousse and a tangerine mousse. For the creams, the first is chocolate and the second is hazelnut!"

The young women ate their portions with enthusiasm and the cook didn't take his eyes off them, amazed. Making all these cakes had taken him time but he didn't regret sacrificing several hours of sleep to see the joy and delight on the faces of his goddesses at that moment.

"Everything is exceptional, how do you expect us to make a choice?" Lily suddenly pointed out, laughing.

"It's true, you're not making it easy," the navigator laughed in turn while Sanji whirled around them with happiness.

"The mousses are especially creamy while the creams are firmer," Robin noted. "Both have a very particular flavor."

"Let's move on to the next cakes," the redhead decided. Sanji did so and quickly, three new plates were placed in front of them.

"These are more modern wedding cakes made from light cream and sponge cake," he explained, pouring some water to accompany their tasting. "The cakes are positioned directly on top of each other but in the same way as classic cakes, I can vary the toppings and flavors. Here, I have chosen to offer you a light coconut-based cream and a natural sponge cake and in the other, a strawberry cream and a chocolate sponge cake!"

"I love these cakes!" Lily reveled, already putting a spoon in her mouth. "The sponge cake and cream are perfect!"

"The decoration possibilities are gorgeous!" Nami rejoiced while showing several photos of the book to her friends.

"They allow real customization both in terms of icing and accessories," Robin approved.

"Look at this cake! It looks so glamorous with these silver pearls!" Lily exclaimed.

"The combination of cream and sponge cake is really tasty," the archaeologist appreciated again as she finished her plate.

"The one with the orchids is so romantic." Nami sighed dreamily in front of an illustration. The navigator then took a few moments to carefully examine the different possibilities offered by this cake, visibly interested. Finally, she turned her attention to the table and noticed that Sanji had cleared their plates.

"Are there any tastings left?" She asked.

"A wedding cake made entirely of macaroons!" The blond showed her while approaching his creation.

"Oh, this is so refined!" Lily rejoiced with admiration. The cook hastened to offer a small plate of various mini macaroons to the three young women. "It's both modern and colorful," Nami observed.

"All flavors are possible," the blond added. "I have made some with tangerine, coffee, lemon, Mirabelle plum, salted butter caramel, gingerbread and violet but I can also make some with green tea, praline, lavender, milk jam, and all the fruit flavors you can find!"

"It is a monumental work," Robin said, detailing the perfectly designed little pastries on her plate.

"Nothing is too beautiful for my princesses!" Sanji assured her as he poured them some more water.

"What is the recommended quantity per guest?" Lily asked him.

"Three or four croquembouches per person and four macaroons are the usual proportions, sweet Lily!" The cook replied. "Concerning the cakes, the portions vary and depend on appetites!"

"Let's not forget that the groom is anything but usual about food proportions," Nami reminded them. The navigator turned the pages of the catalog again while she bit into one of her treats and Sanji discreetly took the already emptied plates into the kitchen.

When he returned a few moments later, the ladies were finishing their last macaroons while commenting on the different cakes.

"Did this tasting help you make a choice?" He asked hopefully.

Nami nodded and pointed to the modern wedding cakes. "We all agree that the cake made with cream and sponge cake is a marvel. Plus you can have many flavors and the decoration is what I like the most."

"A modern wedding cake for Nami-san!" The cook whirled, delighted. "What flavors would you like?!"

The redhead glanced at her friends who nodded back before counting on her fingers. "A layer of chocolate sponge cake and hazelnut cream to emphasize the season. A layer of fruit mousse and plain sponge cake and two layers of mandarin cream and chocolate sponge cake," she listed.

"Wonderful choice, Nami-san!" Sanji got enthused and scrupulously wrote down her order.

"What about the decoration?" Robin asked, turning the pages of the book as well. "Have you decided if you prefer flowers or pearls?"

At these words, Nami bit her lips. "Both are so beautiful." She hesitated, "The flowers are romantic but the pearls give a luxurious and elegant touch…"

"I can make an entirely white icing and add golden sugar pearls at the base of each layer," the cook suggested while leaning towards her to point out a page. "This way, I could arrange a few roses without it being too much!"

"That'd be great; thank you, Sanji-kun!" Nami exclaimed. Delighted, the young woman looked back at the photo of her future wedding cake but her smile quickly faded.

"What is it, Nami?" Lily asked her.

"Is there a problem, Nami-san?" The blond immediately worried, "Is there something you don't like?"

"No, no, everything's perfect… for me." The navigator looked at the photo again and sighed. "I can't help but think that it wouldn't be to Luffy's taste," she said. "And even though he told me to choose whatever I wanted, I want him to like it too. It is our wedding after all."

"It seems like Luffy loves absolutely everything about food," the fisherwoman pointed out.

"The captain isn't picky about it," Robin agreed with a smile.

"Besides, he'll have already stuffed himself at the buffet; we're planning quite a few meats," the cook assured her.

"I know but it's a symbol and I'd like it to match both of us…"

Her three friends shared a look before looking for some more inspiration into Sanji's little book. In the end, Robin turned to the navigator, "Which cake do you think Luffy would prefer?"

Nami took a second to think. "I think croquembouche would suit him more. And I really like this cake but the decoration is less original," she showed her.

"Maybe you can put croquembouches on one layer?" Lily suggested.

At these words, Sanji sat up and shook his head. "Don't worry, Nami-san. You said you wanted this cake to represent the two of you and it will."

"How?" She wondered, looking up at him.

"I'll just make two wedding cakes! One made with cream and sponge cake and the other with croquembouches that I'll keep for him. Luffy's huge appetite has always been an integral part of him, we're not gonna ignore it on his wedding day!"

"This is an excellent idea," Robin chuckled.

"This'd suit both of you perfectly!" Lily rejoiced, delighted.

"Oh, Sanji-kun, that'd be awesome!" The redhead got enthused. "But… won't it be too much work? You already have the meal and cocktail to make with Malek and I know Zeff doesn't wanna close the All Blue," she added, concerned.

Sanji whirled around beside her, totally lovesick. "For you, Nami-san, I'll never do too much!"

"We need to be efficient. Sanji is having his cake tasting with the girls and I'm sure Nami will come out with the cake of her dreams. We have to move forward!" Usopp said firmly.

Sitting here and there on the deck of the Sunny, his crewmates nodded absently, all immersed in their own activities.

"I'm serious!" The sniper insisted while sitting down resolutely on the green grass. "We really need to settle all this; the wedding is in less than three weeks!"

"I wanted to taste the cakes." Luffy pouted, scowling against the railing.

"Only girls were invited," Chopper reminded him while joining the sniper to set an example for his friends. "Even we couldn't attend, even though it's usually the duty of a best man!"

"That's one less thing to do," Usopp remarked as he opened his notebook. "So, how's it going? And don't tell me you did nothing!"

Franky came closer to show them his own notebook. "Don't worry, bro, I'm making sketches of the room and I already have several patterns!"

"I got lots of ideas for new cocktails!" Malek told them excitedly, showing them his own papers. "All possible ingredients are available here; I've never had so much inspiration!"

"I have selected several traditional songs for the world dance tour," Brook said as he sat down next to the little reindeer.

"Well done, guys, this is great." The sniper congratulated them after taking a look at their creations. "What about you, Zoro?" He then called out to his companion who was leaning against the railing not far from Luffy.

"I got nothing to do except on the wedding day if someone shows up," the swordsman reminded him.

Usopp ran a hand over his face. "We've talked about it a hundred times; you need to have a strategy first! That's why you're with Liam!"

"I don't know where he is; he wasn't at the restaurant today," Zoro pointed out.

"You're gonna drive me crazy!" His friend choked. "You are responsible for security; it is a crucial point!"

"Relax, it's gonna be fine."

Chopper placed a reassuring hoof on the arm of the sniper whose face was twitching with stress. "We'll talk to Liam about your plan as soon as he gets back from Basterl," he said. "For today, we need to discuss two essential points: outfits and Luffy's bachelor party."

"Hey, I completely forgot about this tradition! This is a great idea!" Malek exclaimed.

"There's a party?!" The straw hat boy suddenly approached their circle, his eyes shining with excitement.

"It's about organizing one last day for you as a single person," the little reindeer explained kindly. "You can choose activities that you like and we'll organize them for you."

"Awesome!"

"It's gonna be super!" Franky agreed, high fiving his captain who was ecstatic.

"Finally, I'll see a young lady's panties!" Brook rejoiced.

"Speaking of which," Usopp stepped in while tapping his captain's straw hat with his pen, "I don't think the usual activities will suit Luffy so let's forget about stripteases and challenges related to seduction."

"What a shame," the musician lamented.

"We made several suggestions, Luffy. Tell us what you think." The straw hat boy took the paper the doctor handed him and looked over it eagerly, "Time Tripper, that looks awesome! Laser game! And paintball! Oh, I wanna go jet skiing and bungee jumping!"

"Time Tripper? What is it?" Malek wanted to know.

"It's an adventure game where you need to solve puzzles and perform actions to reconstruct a story," Usopp explained.

"It sounds really exciting," Brook agreed while pouring himself a cup of tea.

"You need to choose only two activities." The reindeer cooled Luffy's ardor who was ticking off everything he could on the paper, "We won't have time to do everything otherwise."

"All right! Um…" The captain scratched his head for a second before handing his paper to the sniper.

"Time Tripper and paintball," he read. "Okay, I'll go and make reservations tomorrow," he added while highlighting the phone numbers. "Nami's organizing her bachelorette party a week before the wedding so that her sister and Vivi are present; we should be able to do it at the same time."

"Do you know what Nami-sis has planned?" Franky asked with curiosity. "I bet it'll be dripping with testosterone!" He then added suggestively. Usopp nodded as he continued to check his preparations, "Stripper, hammam, massage and shopping if I'm not mistaken."

"It's gonna be hot!" The cyborg got enthused while Malek burst out laughing.

"I'd give anything to participate in this day in the company of all these beauties," Brook sighed dreamily.

"Sanji said he wouldn't attend Luffy's bachelor party so he could go with them," Chopper told them.

"He won't, it's girls only. Nami will never agree," the sniper muttered while grabbing his list to check what remained. "Chopper, what's next?" He asked his friend then.

"Oh, we were thinking of wearing costumes!" The little reindeer said, rummaging in his bag. "Luffy, you can choose ours!"

Immediately, the captain snatched from his hands the catalog he had just grabbed. "I wanna Usopp to be a chick and Chopper to be a unicorn!" He decided, showing them the costumes. The sniper sighed and Luffy turned more pages, visibly captivated by the illustrations. "Franky will be a priest, Brook a banana, Malek a zombie, Zoro a prisoner of Impel Down and I'll be the giant rabbit!" He concluded with a dazzling smile.

"It'll be perfect for paintball!" Franky remarked, bursting out laughing.

"These costumes are stupid," the swordsman said, taking a look at his future outfit as Brook had handed him the catalog.

"I'm kind of lucky," Malek admitted.

"We also have challenges planned during the day but it'll be a surprise," Chopper told his captain who jumped with joy again.

"Let's move on to the suits on the day of the ceremony," Usopp continued seriously, "It's something we can't miss." The sniper took out another catalog to give it to the captain but unlike the previous one, he didn't show the same enthusiasm when he opened it. "You need to choose a suit, Luffy," he insisted.

"Why?"

"For the ceremony," Chopper reminded him. "You need to be elegant but also comfortable enough to have a good time!"

"And the best men's suits must be in tune," Usopp added.

"Dark blue is very trendy," the little reindeer showed him.

"They look like Sanji's clothes!" Luffy exclaimed.

"They're suits but they all have different styles and they're all super stylish!" Franky got enthused, leaning over his shoulder.

"Flamboyant, original or colorful, it's all a matter of taste!" Brook, who had also approached, agreed.

"This one is really classy!" Luffy suddenly pointed out, impressed.

"I'm not sure that the red pocket handkerchief with white polka dots would be unanimous," Malek remarked cautiously.

"The five-piece suit is not the most comfortable when you're not used to it," the musician added.

"We can choose a simple and casual suit," the sniper said. "Robin said that Nami wants a light dress without a train or corset so we don't want something too formal."

"This is good news for Luffy," Franky noted.

"A black suit over a white shirt might be appropriate then," Brook said.

"A white clutch bag would give a touch of elegance," Malek suggested.

"Okay then… What do you think of this suit, Luffy?" Usopp asked him, pointing to a photo from the catalog.

The captain leaned towards the model then raised his head to answer but Zoro didn't hear him, letting his mind drift out to sea. The conversation didn't interest him in the least and he had reached his limit but he couldn't help but note that for the first time in weeks, he had enjoyed the excitement and good mood of his friends just like before. How long had it been since he willingly participated in a simple discussion? Too long would have been the answer of all those around him on a daily basis, he knew it. So today could probably be considered a victory of sorts from their point of view. From his own though, he wasn't so sure.

The swordsman was still far from feeling at ease because of his inner torments but he didn't deny that this light atmosphere was pleasant. For weeks, the same disturbing thoughts had been going round and round in his mind, and he had ended up forgetting the beneficial effect that his companions could have on him. It was clear that from the moment he had noticed his break from his swords, he had no longer allowed himself anything. He had withdrawn into himself a little more each day and refused the slightest pleasure, focused on his pain.

He knew the reason for this change. The few words he had exchanged with Sanji in the galley a few days earlier hadn't been a long discussion but the two men had spoken openly at that moment and it had allowed the swordsman to shed a new light on his behavior. Of course, his guilt and shame of his failure were still very present, but by reacting the way he did, the blond had reminded him that his crewmates still cared about him, no matter what happened. The cook had restored a bond between him and the outside world and Zoro was using it this afternoon to get a little closer to those from whom he had cut himself off.

This didn't prevent him from feeling embarrassed in their presence given what he was hiding from them and even unworthy of the kindness of the cook in particular. Indeed, that evening, their embrace had soothed a part of his soul when he had touched with his fingertips this bond which had never altered despite these two years. And he had felt an intense relief at the same time as a deep dismay: he didn't know how to live up to this generosity and to their helping hands.

Zoro had never been really sociable, always too focused on his goals to enjoy companionship. And if it hadn't been for Luffy, he knew that he probably would never have felt these indescribable bonds that now united him with the members of the Straw Hat crew. His previous traveling companions had been nice for a time but his solitary nature had never prevented him from behaving as if he were alone despite their presence.

After his breakup with the cook, the breach that Luffy had created and that Sanji had cut to his shape had closed. That evening though, the blond had reopened something in him. A thin stream of heat from which filtered the voices and laughter of his friends.

"Zoro, what do you think? If I put a flower in my buttonhole, should it be blue or white?"

The swordsman was suddenly back in front of his captain's hopeful face and he stared at him to make him understand the absurdity of his question but Luffy stared back as if his first mate held the key to the Sunny's fridge.

"How should I know? I ain't the cook to know this useless stuff," he finally growled.

"Oh, good idea! We need to ask Sanji!"

The conversation instantly resumed among his friends and Zoro was about to close his eyes but before he could completely relax, the straw hat boy turned to him again, a beaming smile on his lips.

"I'm glad you decided to get better, Zoro!"

His first mate frowned. He wasn't sure if he fully understood, but Luffy had already turned away to answer the little reindeer's question about a piece of fabric. Zoro leaned back against the railing, a strange feeling in his stomach.

He wasn't sure if he was getting better, he was even inclined to believe that he had never felt so bad in his life. Yet he hadn't decided to be unhappy as Luffy suggested. He wanted to resume his previous life, find the connection with his swords and regain his dignity as a man. With all his might. But his will wasn't enough, he noticed it every day. In these conditions, how could he act to no longer feel like he had such little influence in his own existence?

Zoro closed his eyes, rocked by the slight rolling of the Sunny and the increasingly distant voices of his crewmates as sleep lured him. Could he get better when his reason for living was slipping away from him? When all his efforts for all these years seemed to have been in vain? When all his previous choices were called into question given what he was going through today? If it was a matter of decision, then he had probably already failed.

Zoro is a mess and it's not over. The next chapter is just going to stir things up.

Brace yourselves!