Chapter 8: The Chef at Chateau Blue

The Chateau Blue. A restaurant that has garnered critical acclaim throughout the world. A floating restaurant that was grander than the one that continued its operation in the East Blue, The Baratie. The outside, a marvelous ship that had two duck shaped figure heads, each on different sides, one with blue eyes and the other pink. The large sign, just above the front entrance, introduced anyone visiting the name of the restaurant, the Chateau Blue with big letters and lights that surrounded the entire sign.

The restaurant exterior was three layered from bottom to top that made the restaurant look like a cake. The walls were white with windows that surrounded all around the floating restaurant. The bottom of the restaurant was a deck that had docks extended out for any ship to dock. On one side of the restaurant was a bar and rest area for those who wanted to chat and talk. On the other was a bakery, with tables and seats for anyone wanting to try the Chateau Blue's world famous pastries.

at the top was a small building in the shape of a small castle shaped pastry that housed the Chateau Blue's Head Chef. Inside, he was in his personal kitchen, making a special lunch for his VIP guest that was soon to arrive. The sizzling sound of the skillet over the fire echoed throughout the kitchen as the head chef sprinkled some spices onto the food.

Beside him, a couple of picture frames that showcased both himself and Pudding. While they weren't necessarily together, their bond grew deep enough that one could easily say they were like a loving couple. Deep down, he cared about her immensely. It was a rocky start to their relationship, but after everything they went through he cared about her a lot. However, there something inside him that refused to take that next step with her. Was it his inner desire to be someone who was more than a woman man? No, he wasn't like that. He would treat every girl like they were an angel and fawned over them. He would never on purpose play with a girl's feelings.

There was just something inside him that made him hesitate. He had his suspicions on what this feeling was. He looked over to the picture frame nearby and stared at the photo of his friends, his crew. His eyes wandered over to his former Captain's face. Losing Luffy hurt him in ways that he couldn't describe. He was annoying at times, but his charm, who Luffy was, it always put a smile on his face. He was his Captain, was his number one favorite customer in the world.

He smiled softly at all the memories he shared with him and of course feeding his endless stomach on a daily basis. He missed him. His death hurt. He remembered not being able to cook anything properly for weeks. He would burn food, use wrong spices and had many different accidents that left him with cuts, burns and other injuries. He never thought someone's death would leave him in shambles as Luffy's death did.

It wasn't until Pudding came back to his life that he slowly began to heal and got back to being the cook he was proud of being. The time they spent was wonderful and he grew closer to her than he ever thought he would get. Yet, he would not go beyonf a certain point. Deep down, Luffy's death affected him a lot and he refused to get too close to anyone again. He missed his closest friend.

Suddenly, a bell rang through the sound system Franky had installed when he helped build his restaurant. That bell was a signal to let everyone know when VIP guests were approaching. His mood brightened as he was about to see Robin again after months. He missed her along with the rest of the crew. He hadn't heard from most of them in a while, especially from both Robin and Nami, so when he was told Robin was coming, he was overjoyed.

He was curious about this gift she mentioned she was bringing. He wasn't sure what it could be, but it was a gift from Robin so he was excited no matter what it was. He put on the finishing touches on the dish he prepared for her and picked up the plate. He started heading to the door when he stopped just in front of it. He looked down to his left and saw another picture frame. It was a large picture of the Straw Hat Pirates. He specifically eyed his Captain.

'Luffy...I wish you could be here...I'm sure you'd clean me out every time you stopped by...' He chuckled at the thought. He missed cooking food for him. Luffy always appreciated his cooking and he respected the way Luffy would eat anything and always leave his plate empty. As a cook, there was no greater honor. He knew he had to move on. They all did, but it was something he couldn't really get over with and he didn't need to be constantly reminded of it whenever the old man stopped by.

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. He didn't like thinking about these things. He had other things to worry about now. Especially how he would react to seeing his lovely Robin-chan again. He reached toward the door knob to open it when suddenly, his kitchen shook along with a loud crash.

"What the..."

~OP~

Wooooooaaaaahhhhh!" Luffy looked in awe. The marine ship was currently sailing through a large stream of water that was surrounded by what formally was the red line. "This is so cool!"

Robin giggled right next to him. She was so happy seeing this sight again. Luffy's thirst for adventure and seeing the sights of the world for the first time was always a treat for her. He had such joy and wonder and it always brought her joy and a strong feeling of adventure.

"Impressive, isn't it?" She asked him and leaned against the same railing he was sitting crossed legged on.

"Yeah!" He smiled.

"How does it feel knowing you were the one who created this?" She asked him curiously.

"Hmmm...I don't know...I wish I could remember what I did, but all I can remember is punching that Imu guy...I didn't really pay attention where or what we were going through, I just really wanted to let that asshole have it..." Luffy told her, crossing his arms. "But it is cool to know that I did this...and it's named after me too...that's awesome!"

"~Hehehe it is.. This is just one of the many gorges that connect the rest of the world together. We should be arriving soon at an even more amazing place and if Koby-san is right, we should see Sanji's restaurant there too." Hearing his name, brought a huge grin on Luffy's face.

"Oh man, I can't wait to see Sanji and see his new restaurant! Not to mention eating his tasty food again, Shi shishishi!" The thought of eating food prepared by the former cook of his crew made him more excited than ever. He drooled at all the food he would be devouring. Robin giggled at him, loving this nostalgic feeling of sailing with her Captain.

"I'm sure he'll be excited to see you. I relayed a message that I'll be stopping by with a gift." Robin smiled playfully.

"Huh? A gift? Oh, should I get a gift for him too? I don't have anything though." Robin couldn't help the giggle escape from her lips.

"No, it's fine. Let's just say you already have a gift for him." He tilted his head in confusion, but shrugged it off as he was too excited in seeing Sanji to think too much on it.

"Oh, we are coming up on it." Robin told her Captain a couple of minutes later as Luffy excitedly leaned over the railing to get a better view. His eyes widened as the the red mountain expanded out to form a large open area. The circumference was fairly large with many streams that led to many different points around the world. The destruction of the red line that Luffy caused brought the entire world together with the center point this gorge.

"Woah...amazing...what is this place Robin?" Luffy asked her with widened eyes full of amazement and wonder.

"This place...it's where you were last seen...fighting against Imu...the epicenter of your battle with him when you destroyed the red line...some call it the All Blue and others call it, The Great Nika Sea."

It was also where the former home of the Celestial Dragons lived before it was destroyed alongside the red line. Many former Celestial Dragons ran or were killed during the final war. Some disappeared, their fates unknown as their entire livelihood was destroyed by not only Luffy's actions, but everyone else who opposed them.

The incident also caused the sea levels to rise, causing many islands to be flooded by the raise in sea levels. However, the water quickly receded as well as it began to fill the empty hole left behind by the destruction of the mountain. The force behind it was so great that even parts of the mountain on the other side of the world felt its force, cracking and breaking apart.

It was later discovered that the spot Luffy destroyed was also the heart of the mountain and caused a large crack internally that spread across its entire mountain structure. With the water receding, islands once submerged reappeared again, allowing everyone to discover new islands, islands of old and learn about ancient civilizations that once inhabited these islands.

Robin looked over at Luffy as she finished explaining to him the instant aftermath of what he had done. Luffy, who normally would be bored of topics like this, actually listened closely to his archaeologist. He was surprisingly interested in learning what happened. Whether he understood anything she said, she didn't know, but she did feel something different about him. He felt more mature.

"Luffy?" She called his name, wondering what he was thinking.

"Hmm...i don't quite get it, but I did something amazing..." Robin smiled and figured that Luffy still didn't quite understand what she told him. He looked ahead at the open waters with awe. "...hey, Robin..."

"Hm?"

"This place...it's so big...i see nothing but water...it feels endless...it makes me feel...free..there's no longer anything stopping me...I can continue sailing without ever stopping...to sail freely as I want...nothing in my way...this place connects everything, right? I really did it...I really became free...right?" Robin gasped a little. She stared at him as he continued to look on to the endless sea. She was caught by surprise. She never expected him to talk like this. It was new. It was a thought that she wouldn't have expected a younger Luffy to say. Was she wrong? Did he really mature? She smiled warmly at him.

"Yes...you did Luffy..."

He looked over at her with a grin. "I am the free-est man in the world...right?"

Robin giggled as she recalled what he said to Rayleigh in the bar all those years ago. "Yeah...you are..." He grinned and chuckled with excitement.

"Shi shishishi! That's great! I hope that means everyone else is too. I hope everyone else is free." Luffy wondered looking back at the sea.

"Ee...they are...I know they are...after all...I am one of those people..." She smiled warmly at him and he chuckled.

"Good. Ah, but I guess I can't do anything yet until I see everyone." He crossed his arms. "Shi shishishi, I hope they join me again. It's better to adventure with everyone than by myself." He may feel like the free-est man in the world, but without his friends or someone to join him on that journey, it wouldn't feel the same.

She really was amazed by him. Even after so many years, he was still a remarkable person that she would follow to the ends of the world. He was her Captain, a wonderful friend and crew mate. The pride she felt for being a close and personal friend to him was one she had so much pride in. This was the man who changed the world, saved so many people and he returned to them. She truly was so happy to have him back.

"Luffy-san, we'll soon be approaching Chateau Blue." Koby told him as Robin and Luffy turned to him.

"Really!? Then we'll see Sanji soon!" He got up and ran toward the front of the ship with a wide grin. Koby chuckled at him and then turned to Robin. "Did you let Sanji-san know?" He asked as she giggled.

"Kind of, he just knows I'm bringing a gift." Koby chuckled and gave her a small nod.

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHH! IS THAT IT!?" Both of them heard Luffy yell out from the front of the ship.

"Oh boy..." Koby sighed, but kept a smile plastered on his face.

"~Hehehe...it's so good to hear him be so excited again." Robin smiled warmly, missing this Luffy so much. Koby only smiled back at her.

"Oi! Grunt! What are you-?" Both were alerted by someone's voice and before they could ask what was going on, they heard the loud voice of the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Gomu Gomu no...ROCKET!" The sound of rubber stretching and snapping was heard as the laughing voice of Luffy was fading every second. Koby turned his head over to Robin with a dead pan expression.

"Tell me he didn't..."

"~Hehehe...that's the Luffy I know and love..."

Then, a loud crashing sound was heard and they both knew what happened. Luffy crashed into the Chateau Blue.

~OP~

"Are we being attacked!?"

"What in the world happened?"

"Are they pirates!?"

"Everyone calmed down!" Pudding calmly shouted as she took charge. "Whatever it is, we need to be ready." She told the staff. The chefs, who were battle experienced nodded and took out their knives to use as weapons.

"Put your knives away." Everyone turned their heads to see the owner of the Chateau Blue approach them. A plate of food in one hand raised up to his shoulder.

"Sanji-san!" Pudding let out a sigh in relief in seeing Sanji arrive.

"Don't use those knives to fight. They should be only used to make delicious food for our customers. We can't have your knives lose their sharpness in some random scuttle. I'll deal with it." All of his employees felt the tension in their shoulders loosen with his presence. They looked at him in complete awe. He stopped next to Pudding and kept his eyes on the dust cloud and destruction that was formed by whatever dared to attack his restaurant. "Did anyone see what it was?"

"No, it just happened all of a sudden." She answered, looking at him with eyes of admiration. She felt her face blush at how cool he was at the moment.

"I see...it's been a while...the exercise should be good."

"Oops..." He heard a voice from within the dust cloud and saw the silhouette of someone.

Sanji didn't wait long before jumping forward and slamming his leg right into the face of the intruder. Luffy felt the kick hit him hard and was sent flying to another wall. Sanji landed on the rubble and tapped his foot on the floor. The plate of food still in his hands with none of the food splattering anywhere.

'Hmm...weird...that felt strange...and familiar...' Sanji turned his head and looked at the debris he created from kicking the intruder into another wall.

"The hell, Egg Plant? You wanna destroy your whole restaurant..." Sanji clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked over at Zeff who was casually sitting in front of one of the tables with his leg and peg leg on the table.

"Shut up old man..." Sanji glared at him. "I will deal with this my way."

"Your way will destroy this restaurant, you idiot."

Sanji sighed in annoyance. "Your lucky your old as hell now, if I tried kicking you, you might keel over..." Sanji responded.

"What did you say, Egg plant!? I can still kick your butt!" Zeff growled at him.

"Zeff-san...please...Doctor Chopper said you shouldn't overexert yourself, not after what happened last ti-" Pudding warned the older man as he waved his hand off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know...at least someone here is considerate of my health." Zeff commented which ticked off Sanji.

"Such a pain..." Sanji knew this was just their usual banter, but he would be lying if he said it didn't annoy him to some degree. Regardless, he turned his attention back to where he kicked the idiot that crashed into his restaurant.

The sound of debris being moved caused everyone to stand alert. A body rose from it and had its back toward everyone. Sanji eyed the individual and noticed the long black hair that was tied in a ponytail, along with the new Marine uniform he wore.

"A marine?" Pudding curiously asked, finding it weird that it was a marine who crashed into the restaurant.

"The hell...Oi, you damn Marine, the hell is the matter with you? You crash into my restaurant out of nowhere? Who the hell do you think you are? I'm gonna make you work as a busboy washing dishes until you pay off all the damage you made." The Marine was dusting himself off when he stiffened at the sound of Sanji's voice. He slowly stood up. His back still facing the Head Chef.

"Sanji-san...you did some of that..." Pudding commented sheepishly.

"That hurt..." The Marine muttered. Sanji didn't quite hear what was said, but he did hear the Marine say something under his breath. This only added to his frustration today and before anyone could blink, Sanji sped across the restaurant, jumped and slammed his foot against the back of the Marine's head, slamming him to the ground. He then kicked off and landed on his feet a few feet away.

"Damn it..." He muttered annoyingly, he felt a headache come along and needed a cigarette. He reached into his pocket to grab his box when he heard the sound of someone eating. Sanji turned his head and saw the Marine sitting cross legged, his back turned again to him and was snacking on something. When Sanji saw what he was eating, his eyes widened and turned his head to his dish. He couldn't believe he didn't notice that part of the dish was gone.

"Oh man..." The Marine sighed as he ate the last piece he had. "I missed how good your food was..." He told Sanji. The blond haired chef felt his body freeze slightly at his voice. There was a familiarity to it. One that he swore he heard before. The Marine stood up and dusted himself off.

"You...who the hell are you? How dare you take some of the food I was preparing for Robin-chwan!" He angrily told him.

"Ehhhh...Robin, huh..." The man then began to turn. "...Shi shishishi! How about for me, Sanji? Did you make some for me!?"

Sanji's eye slowly widened. Time froze as he stared at the man wearing the Marine clothes standing in front of him. His hand shook and the plate he masterfully held onto during the entire scuffle soon fell. It only took it a second to crash to the floor and splatter food all over the place, but for Sanji, it felt like an eternity,

He felt his lips quiver, he lost his voice. His eyes shook as tears began welling up in his eyes. He was dreaming.. He had to be. This was all a dream. There was no possible way this was reality. The person standing before him shouldn't be there. He shouldn't be alive. This had to be a dream...right?

He looked at the man standing before him and a brief image of his former Captain appeared in his vision. No, it wasn't a dream. He was not dreaming.

SANJI! FOOOD!

I REFUSE YOUR REFUSAL!

PLEASE SANJI, LET ME HAVE A SNACK!

SHISHISHI, SANJI IS A GREAT GUY, RIGHT?

I WON'T EAT ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU COOK!

WITHOUT YOU...I CAN'T BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!

LET'S GO, SANJI! LET'S FIND YOUR ALL BLUE!

"A-Ah...ah...L...Lu...Luffy..." Sanji couldn't back the tears from flowing. Pudding gasped and raised her hands to cover her mouth as her own tears began to flow. Zeff couldn't believe it himself, he had to stand up from his chair and his body shook in shock.

Luffy then ran towards his old friend and gave him a big hug similar to the one he gave Koby. "I'M BACK, SANJI!"

"UWAAAHHHHHHHH! L-LUUUUUUUUUFFFFFFYYYYYYYYY!" Sanji cried out in pure happiness. His long lost Captain, who he thought died seven years ago was alive. He was hugging him. This wasn't a dream. Sanji could feel Luffy's hug, this was no dream. His Captain was alive. Luffy was alive!

END