Chapter 91

Secret world

Sanji looked at the darkened sky around him. The weather was clearing and the sun would soon rise and take the last veils of the night. A few steps away and sitting against the railing of the small sailboat that was taking them back to the All Blue, Zoro was sleeping soundly. The boat had a small cabin but neither he nor the swordsman had really used it during their travelling. They took turns to keep an eye on the course and the ocean but the one who was not on watch never stayed far from the other. Whether it was because they wanted to be ready in case of an alert to react as quickly as possible or simply to stay close after these months of separation, the blond did not know, but the fact was that the wood of the deck had welcomed them more often than the soft mattress waiting for them.

Deep in thought, the cook leaned cautiously against the helm, observing the endless landscape of the sea before his eyes. As the swordsman had announced from the start to his old master, they had not lingered in Shimotsuki more than the time necessary for Zoro to meditate and regain strength in this unique place where part of his determination and will rested forever. That is why shortly after dinner, they had been quick to say goodbye to the owner of the place. Kôshirô had not been offended and he had even accompanied them to the limits of his domain. On this occasion, Zoro had been happy to escape the apprentice swordsmen who would not have failed to pursue him because with the late hour, none of them were present at that moment. So they had embarked as soon as they had found their little boat and two days later, they would soon reach the All Blue.

The blond had called their crew the day before to tell them they were on their way back. He had then learned that their friends were taking advantage of their absence to travel on their own: they had taken the Sunny to go around the archipelago and show Nojiko and Vivi the places they had not yet visited. Sanji was a little disappointed not to be able to accompany them, especially since he knew the young women' departure was imminent now. Yet he did not regret having followed Zoro on the path of his childhood, where everything had started for him and his dream.

He even felt sincerely honored to have been invited to share this important moment and he knew the privilege that had been granted to him. That is why he had only slightly grumbled when he had told the news to the swordsman who had simply shrugged in return. Everyone had played their part and kept up appearances in this way: Sanji was disappointed not to have been able to enjoy the ladies' presence and Zoro didn't care what his crewmates could do or the blond's reaction.

It wasn't because their bond seemed stronger than ever that they were going to forget their rivalry and sharp remarks towards the other. They were well aware that the flavor of their relationship also depended on their snarky retorts masking their true feelings and so, they appreciated them just as much as the rarer moments when their masks fell to reveal the depths of their bond. These moments were certainly less usual but they were always intense and some embarrassment remained when one dared to talk openly to the other. Strangely, it was a facet of their relationship that had never changed despite the years and Sanji tended to believe that it would always be like this.

In the end, the cook searched for his cigarettes in his pocket before lighting one while he let his gaze wander towards the swordsman still deeply asleep, his swords on his knees. The few hours they had spent in Shimotsuki already seemed far away but this interlude already demonstrated its positive effects on his companion and Sanji was happy about it. From now on, he knew that Zoro was totally reconciled with himself, as evidenced by his increasingly regular sleep. The blond then detailed his peaceful figure more precisely. The vulnerability that the swordsman let glimpse when he slept was no longer an obvious sign of his weakness. Now, his relaxed face attested to his newfound serenity and his deep breathing hinted at the power that would be revealed when he opened his eyes.

Sanji blew his smoke gently into the salty air. He would probably never dare to tell Zoro, but he felt deeply proud of him. He remembered that he had never stopped pushing and scolding him during all this time when the swordsman had lost his grip. In this way, he had wanted him to react, to become again the person Sanji had always known. But deep down, the blond knew that his own fear of seeing Zoro give up was nothing compared to what the swordsman had felt.

By losing his connection to his swords, it was not only his dream but also his entire being that had almost collapsed and the cook could not imagine what it took for Zoro to raise his head and fight while everything was crashing down around him. It was not only thanks to an extraordinary personality; it was also thanks to an amazing self-denial and humility that Zoro had shown.

If it had been him, Sanji wasn't sure he would have had the courage to continue believing or even rely on anyone for help. The ghosts of his own past might have had something to do with his reasoning and he prayed that he would never have to find out. Anyway, he was truly in awe of the way the swordsman had had the patience and resilience to endure such an ordeal, further strengthening his belief that Zoro had what it took to become the best swordsman in the world. And it was only a matter of time before his goal came to fruition, the cook was convinced of it.

At that moment, Zoro suddenly stretched against the railing and Sanji crushed his cigarette butt in the ashtray at his feet.

"It's about time, mosshead. You were sleeping so soundly you forgot you were on watch tonight," he pointed out as a greeting. The swordsman glanced around to see that the sun was indeed rising and he turned his attention back to his companion, his eyebrows furrowed. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because your stupid musclehead was finally bearable like this," the blond deadpanned. "Not to mention that now, you owe me. I can ask you for anything I want today and you won't be able to refuse me," he added slyly.

Zoro just rolled his eyes while getting up calmly. "Fine, I'll settle my debt right away by making food then. What do you think, darts eyebrow?"

"Are you nuts, Greenie?! Don't you dare touch the food; you hear me?! You're gonna poison us!"

"As you wish. But now you can't say that I didn't try to pay you back and you'll have to settle for what I choose to give you."

The swordsman's smirk widened as he walked past his companion to head towards the bathroom while Sanji's jaw was hanging on the floor, clearly stunned by his repartee. "I want meat and rice for breakfast, cook. Something that sticks to the ribs and not one of those ridiculous toasts or fruit salads you make for the girls."

Zoro then closed the bathroom door behind him with a laugh, proud of himself, and Sanji swore to never share the sweet feelings that Zoro had inspired in him only a few moments earlier. He hated this guy, period.

When their small boat reached land, it was well into the afternoon and the two men immediately took the small path to the restaurant. Indeed, Sanji had brought little food, refusing to accept Kôshirô's generosity, and he had only planned the bare minimum for their trip. Unfortunately, the small storm they had encountered on the way had delayed them and they had skipped lunch. They were now eager to eat but since the Sunny was absent, they had no choice but to head towards the All Blue.

As they were about to push open the front door, Sanji glanced at his watch.

"The service is over; they're probably cleaning up. I'll see what I can find in the kitchen and then the crew shouldn't be long."

Zoro simply nodded, following his companion inside the restaurant, which was empty at this hour. They had learned a few hours earlier that their friends were also heading back and that evening, Luffy had planned a big party to properly celebrate the departure of Vivi and Nojiko. Although delighted at the prospect, Sanji knew that it meant he would need to spend the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen even if Malek would probably join him. Elio, Sam and Zeff had just spent five days in uninterrupted service, not to mention that his sous chefs had managed the wedding day alone and he was sure that his two kitchen boys were exhausted.

His intuition was confirmed when he saw them through the porthole of the swinging doors leading to the kitchen and he sighed while Zoro chose a table to sit on the bench after placing his swords at his side.

"I'll help the old man finish and I'll bring you something afterwards. Elio and Sam are about to faint, I'll replace them for the dishes…" Zoro approved with a grunt, stretching against the comfortable bench and closing his eyes while waiting for his meal. The blond entered the kitchen hurriedly then.

"Out, you morons, I'll replace you."

Hearing his voice, Elio and Sam jumped, surprised, before a huge smile of relief lit up their faces. "That's really nice of you, chef." Sam thanked him while putting down his dishcloth, a tired smile on his lips.

"Five days in a row with three people is inhuman," Elio agreed, his dark circles hollowing his cheeks.

"If you can't keep up this kind of pace, you're still far from being able to have your restaurant," Sanji said, grabbing the remaining piles of dirty plates to put them in the sink.

"I'd rather work for you the rest of my life then, that's enough…"

Sanji rolled his eyes and ran hot water as he grabbed a sponge and dishwashing liquid. "Don't come back until tomorrow morning. From the looks on your faces, I'm afraid the customers will find bits of your fingers in their salads…"

"The Baratie cooks were wrong when they said you were the cruelest of them all," Elio noted as he took off his apron, delighted.

The blond turned to him at these words, his eyebrows furrowed, and his sous chef gestured towards the Den-Den Mushi.

"Even though they weren't talking to us, they were talking so loudly that we could hear them from here and I think they were curious to know how their ex-colleague managed his own restaurant," Sam said with a yawn.

"Of course…" Sanji glanced suspiciously at Zeff who hadn't moved since he arrived, busy retrieving the huge pots from the other side of the room. A minute later, Elio and Sam had bolted without looking back and the blond spoke again. "So, those idiots called?"

His old mentor shrugged from his station. "So what? They can't?"

"They can, I'm just surprised. What did they want?"

"They wanted to know if I'd come back and if I planned to reopen the Baratie."

Sanji's hands froze in the water for a second before he resumed washing the dozens of plates in front of him. "And what did you tell them?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"That I will reopen the Baratie when the time is right and not before."

The blond just nodded, but inside, he couldn't help but breathe a little more freely. He knew that Zeff had every right to want to leave. Even if All Blue was the dream that he had also pursued for a good part of his life, he had made it clear to his former protégé that he had moved on to devote himself to a new project when he had met him. And selfishly, Sanji was relieved to know that Zeff was going to stick around while he decided his own future and that of the All Blue.

"How did they manage?" He asked him to change the subject by referring to their two assistant cooks.

"Not that bad, but since yesterday, they haven't stopped complaining. Young people really lack stamina nowadays."

"Don't put everyone in the same basket." His former student was offended while scraping a pan. "What the hell did you cook in there?" He then got annoyed.

"Braised sweetbreads and morels in cream."

"Your Baratie recipe? Is there any left?"

"Why?" His old mentor grumbled, "Don't tell me you want some, you never liked it."

"Not for me, for the mosshead. We just got back and we haven't eaten."

The old cook shrugged at these words. "Too bad for him because there's no more. There's only coconut fish stew left."

Sanji sighed. "That won't do, that idiot doesn't like sweet dishes… Oh well, I'll keep it for myself and make him some omelet and Cantonese rice."

Zeff shrugged again as Sanji dried his hands to take out his ingredients. "Luffy wanna celebrate Vivi and Nojiko's departure, I might be busy tonight," he told him while he put water to boil in a pot.

"And how are we gonna do? You just told the two kids not to come back," Zeff pointed out to him grumpily.

"Malek will be there and I'm sure that between the three of us, we can manage the crew's meal and the service. I'll just ask Lily if she can help with the service."

The old cook didn't reply and after washing another pot, he grabbed his own pans to start the broth of the vegetables planned for dinner.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Sanji had put eggs and a large portion of rice onto a plate and he walked through the kitchen doors into the dining room. He placed it in front of the swordsman who was half asleep on the table and Zoro straightened up, enticed by the smell as his companion came closer. He then raised an eyebrow when seeing only one plate.

"You're not eating?"

"Not yet. I need to finish the dishes and start tonight's service to anticipate the party. You just start and I'll take my break when I bring dessert."

"Okay."

Zoro gulped down his share and Sanji dashed back to the kitchen to resume the dishes after glancing at his yogurt cake rising in the oven. Behind him, Zeff was sizzling leeks and the old chef watched his former student immersed in his task for a moment before letting his gaze linger on the swinging doors. In the end, he turned off the heat under the vegetables and threw his cloth over his shoulder before crossing the doors towards the room.

The old cook immediately headed towards the one he had spotted and stood in front of his table. "So it's you."

Zoro frowned and raised his head from his plate to stare at the imposing figure who was looking at him from his full height.

"You have to be either a complete idiot or really special," the old cook continued.

"What are you talking about, old man?" The swordsman groaned, stuffing too much egg into his mouth.

"And you lack manners."

Zoro took it all in stride and grabbed his piece of bread, his eyes fixed on the old cook. He then settled back further in his seat and stared at the ex-pirate, determined not to be impressed. Zeff didn't respond to his provocation though and he just examined him from head to toe critically.

"You're probably both."

The swordsman was starting to feel annoyed by these incomprehensible remarks and he tensed abruptly. "What if you stopped making innuendos and told me what you want?"

"What about you? What do you want?" The old cook replied, leaning forward.

"I asked first," Zoro retorted, leaning forward in turn.

"Hey, what the hell are you two doing?" Sanji interrupted them, frowning, with his desserts and dish in hand.

Zeff straightened up with a smirk then. "I was asking him if he was an idiot."

Sanji shook his head as he approached to place his plates on the swordsman's table before sitting next to him on the bench. "Of course he's an idiot, can't you see it?"

"I can. I just wanted to make sure. What do you see in that idiot then?"

Zoro choked on his piece of cake that he had already started to devour and Sanji froze for a second before glaring at his mentor.

"Why do you care?"

"He doesn't look like a woman."

The swordsman tensed again and he was about to answer when Sanji's hand in front of him stopped him.

"That's because he's not a woman."

"And on top of that, he's an idiot."

"He's my idiot. You got a problem with that?"

"Depends." Zeff turned to Zoro who held his gaze steadily. "What do you think of his cooking?"

"Just average."

"What about his habit of groveling before women?"

"Pathetic."

"His fighting potential?"

"Ridiculous."

Satisfied, Zeff turned to his former protégé who was staring at them, gaping.

"You're at least right about one thing, he's stupid," the old cook pointed out smugly and Sanji was about to retort sharply but his old mentor beat him to it. "That's good. It takes at least that to put up with you."

The blond frowned and Zoro finished swallowing his share noisily. Zeff kicked him right in the stomach then.

"Fucking bastard!" Zoro instinctively reached for his swords to retaliate, furious, but the old cook gave him the stack of plates he had just picked up on their table.

"Make yourself useful and go do the dishes."

The swordsman grunted but eventually complied and behind him, the blond relaxed a little. Sanji then allowed himself to start his own plate while his mentor grabbed the glass and the cutlery. His gaze was still suspicious when Zeff decided to join the swordsman in the kitchen though.

The old cook put his utensils in the sink over which the swordsman was leaning and the two men did not exchange a word during the entire time of the dishes that Zeff let him do alone while Sanji finished his meal.

Finally, Zoro finished his chore and dried his hands, tired. He was about to head towards the door and escape the gloomy presence of the mute ex-pirate when Zeff spoke again.

"You better take care of him."

At these words, the swordsman turned to question him with his eyes.

"That idiot wouldn't be able to fight even if you held his head under water when it came to his feelings, so I'm just saying. If you hurt him, you won't have enough swords to escape unharmed."

Zoro remained perfectly still. He knew that the old cook's threat was not to be taken lightly given his fighting skills and even though he didn't look like it, he had clearly shown that he cared for Sanji. So he nodded soberly to let him know that he understood his attitude before turning away and leaving the kitchen.

Sanji watched the swordsman walk past the threshold of the restaurant to head outside without a glance in his direction and he finished his dessert quickly before gathering his dishes and returning to the kitchen to get the broom. He then noticed that Zeff was putting away his dish towels with a grin on his face and he froze instantly.

"What did you tell him, you old fart?!"

"Nothing you need to know," his mentor replied calmly.

"Holy fucking shit! We just made up; you better not have ruined everything!" The blond threatened him.

"I like him," the old cook continued, ignoring his outburst. "He knows how to put you in your place when necessary and God knows you need it."

"I do not care about your opinion!"

"Well, I'll give it to you anyway."

Sanji stormed out of the kitchen, his fingers clenched until they hurt around the handle of his broom. His heart was beating a hundred miles an hour but in reality, he wasn't that angry. He was mostly happy that Zeff didn't hate the mosshead but obviously, he would never tell him…

I love the gruff relationship between Sanji and Zeff.

Well, now it's time for the last part of the reunion between Sanji and Zoro…