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They were a few days out from Whole Cake Island and it was the first night any of the crew had allowed Sanji to take the night watch.
He had offered that first night, to allow the crew that had saved him a full night's rest but none of them would hear him out. Brook’s signature laughter rang out and he had claimed the watch for himself as Chopper had morphed into a larger form and dragged him to the infirmary. The doctor had put an ointment over the bruises his brother’s had given him as well as the ones from where the bracelets cut into his skin before pushing him into the men’s dorm to sleep, laying on top of him to keep him from getting up. Begrudgingly, Sanji could admit that Chopper was right, he was exhausted from the events of the past few weeks (had it only been a few weeks? It felt like it had been months) and needed the rest.
Now that he was fully rested and physically recovered from the events of Whole Cake Island, he insisted on taking over his old duties, including taking night watch shifts again.
Which is where Sanji is now, a light springtime rain pattering against the window of the galley – Nami said they were sailing past a spring island and were caught in its weather for the time being – and confident his observation haki will pick up any sign of trouble as he finishes cleaning up the mess his captain had caused to the kitchen when he was gone. The state of it had led to multiple days worth of clean up but now all the chef was left with was reorganizing his cookbooks.
The ones from Baratie and Zeff – pages well loved and long since memorized – sat on their own shelf, prized amongst the others. He ordered the other books by location next. The two from Alabasta – fiery, spicy dishes in one book and cool desserts welcome in the desert heat in the other. Skypiea with its unique airy dishes and even more unique sky-seafood. Several books from Water 7 with a wide variety of cuisine that only the diverse port could have – the Aqua Laguna salt he had acquired there sits in a special spot near the spice rack, saved for a special occasion. Cookbooks from various islands they had stopped at only to grab supplies before heading back out to sea find their home on the shelf too. Recipes from the Kamabakka Queendom, hard won and collected on light pink pages and bound in a hardcover decorated in flowery hearts. Even a couple of cookbooks from Dressrosa he doesn’t remember owning and had found their way into the kitchen, now have places to sit with the others.
The final set of books are his own creation. Recipes that had never been written down before and could only be found in experience. By talking to locals and jotting down their wisdom onto blank pages. From finding his way into the kitchens of bars and restaurants on islands they have been to and learning first hand from local experts. Family recipes from kind grandmothers shared to him as payment for giving the ladies a helping hand. These journals, much like their logbook, are a collection of the crew's adventures on the Grand Line and find a place on a shelf of their own.
The last of his journals is the one Sanji had been avoiding. A powder blue cover encasing light brown pages, clearly used by the way the binding is creased. If his other journals were a collection of their adventures, this journal was a collection of the crew. Their likes and dislikes, carefully observed. Sanji’s love for his nakama bound and handwritten.
Luffy had told him what he was doing was silly. None of the crew was mad at him, even Nami who claimed she was still angry at him for having fought their captain had cooled off significantly since he had been back, the navigator almost back to her usual self.
Sanji couldn’t help it though, he was an over-thinker to his core and couldn’t help but wonder how the crew that hadn’t come to Whole Cake would react to his leaving and return. Luffy said that none of them were mad, only worried about him but had to follow Torao due to the alliance. They wanted to come, his captain had told him. They wanted to see him again, Luffy reassured him. All Sanji could do at the moment was take Luffy’s word as truth until they got to Wano and he saw them all again. So, Sanji stared at the journal for who knows how long – rain softly drumming against the galley window – thinking of his nakama neatly described within its pages.
He had been staring at it long enough, Sanji decided. Grabbing the book, the chef moved to the table, sitting down in his usual spot at the end and slipping on his reading glasses before opening the book and reading the first page.
Luffy
Preferences: Meat
Dislikes: None Cherry Pie(?) I made one last week that he called “the best pie ever” so I'm not sure what this is about.
Current theory is that he will eat anything put in front of him. I accidentally gave him a small piece of wood and he ate it without a second thought. I will have to be careful in the future to not place anything other than food in front of Luffy.
Sanji laughs reading that first paragraph. He remembers that day clearly. It was right after he had said goodbye to Zeff and Baratie, joining the Strawhat Pirates. They were on the way to Cocoyashi Village in his old boat.
Sanji allowed himself a moment of reverie, the gentle rain tapping rhythmically outside easing his mind and lulling him into the memory.
~~~
He had planned to smoke through his night shift and contemplate his new life as a pirate but it seemed like his new captain had different plans. Not five minutes into his shift, Luffy had slammed into him with enough force to nearly send both of them over the railing Sanji was leaning on and into the ocean below.
“SANJI! MEAT!”
“Stupid rubber!” Sanji yelled back, mourning the loss of his cigarette to the sea and straightening up, Luffy still clinging to his back. “You just had dinner!”
“I knooooow,” Luffy whined, “but I’m still hungry!”
Sanji sighed. He wasn’t put off by Luffy’s tactile nature, but it was something he was trying to get used to. His relationship with the chefs at the Baratie never involved touching unless it was through kicks or the brushing of shoulders in the kitchen. Even with Zeff, they had only hugged a handful of times – like when he was asked to be sous chef or when a recipe of his was good enough to add to the menu and he was so overjoyed that nothing else felt right. So Luffy’s near constant need to be leaning against or holding on to him – he imagines Luffy is the same with the other’s on the crew – is vastly different from his own life experiences. Sanji still allows it though, sensing no malicious intent behind the touch. It would take him time, but he will get used to his captain’s nature.
While stuck in his own thoughts, Luffy had taken to wrapping his arms and legs around him multiple times and swaying them both back and forth, Sanji’s strong legs sturdy enough to keep them from falling over.
He sighed again, giving into his captain's demands, “Alright Luffy I will make you food. Now get off of me.”
Luffy cheered loudly in his ear before untangling himself and bouncing towards the galley of the small ship.
By the time Sanji had casually reached the kitchen, Luffy was already sitting at the table, napkin tied around his neck with fork and knife in hand, his smile wide across his face.
“Sanji’s food is the best! What are you going to make?”
He smiled a bit at the praise before replying, “Not sure yet. We still have a day until we reach Nami-swan in Cocoyashi so it can’t be too much. Our supplies have to last until then.”
Sanji looked back to the table where Luffy sat to check if the younger had understood him. Luffy’s large smile was still present so he took that as an affirmative and turned back to cook. Looking into the fridge, Sanji figured he could whip up a simple fried rice with meat and vegetables they had on hand that would go bad soon. Normally he would have cooked up some leftovers but as it turns out Luffy wasn’t one for leaving any amount of food on the table, a trait Sanji appreciated.
As he was chopping the vegetables, Sanji felt a presence creeping slowly towards him.
“Sit down Luffy, it will be done in a minute.”
“I am sitting down though!”
Quickly turning, Sanji saw that his captain was still sitting but his neck was stretched so that his head rested over his shoulder, watching as he cooked.
“Stop stretching then! I cook faster if you aren’t bothering me!”
Luffy’s smile quickly turned into a wide frown instead.
“Just a little bit of food now and I will leave you alone then!”
Sanji groaned before replying, “Fine!” He reached in his blind spot, not taking his eyes off of Luffy, to grab a carrot before shoving it into his captain's mouth. “Now go sit down!”
Luffy just laughed around the food in his mouth before swallowing and retracting his head back to his body.
Sighing again, Sanji turned back to his cutting board. He only had two more carrots to chop and then he could throw everything into the pan. After quickly chopping the three carrots in front of him he-
Wait.
Three carrots?
Then what had he just fed Luffy?
After wrestling Luffy to the ground for a few minutes and successfully getting him to spit out what Sanji had handed him, he let go of his captain and sat up, Luffy still whining and sprawled out on the floor, to look at what it was.
A piece of wood sat in his hand. The wood was a leftover cut from when he and Zeff were repairing Sanji’s boat after a storm had damaged part of it. The piece Luffy had swallowed was about the same size as the carrots he had been chopping so it's not a huge surprise he had mistaken them.
“Sanjiiiiiii!” Luffy continued to whine. “Why did you do that?! I’m still hungry!”
“That wasn’t food, Luffy! You could have been hurt eating that.” Sanji said, throwing the piece of wood into a drawer before continuing to cook.
~~~
Sanji laughed at the memory again. He had let Luffy continue to whine and remembered feeling bad enough about feeding him a block of wood that he didn’t even complain when Luffy had draped himself over him as he finished cooking.
The next few pages of his journal were all about what he had seen Luffy enjoy from islands they had been to as well as meals Sanji had cooked. Noting that Luffy didn’t have much of a spice tolerance but didn’t let that stop him from consuming fiery dishes as sweat poured down his face. There were plenty of blank pages in Luffy’s section of the book though, to account for future adventures and dishes for the gluttonous captain. Sanji knew Luffy’s section would read much the same in the future though.
Loves, everything. Dislikes, none. Except for a specific cherry pie apparently.
After Luffy’s section in the book was the mossheads’s.
Zoro
Preferences: white rice, sake, meat
Dislikes: chocolate, all sweets
He remembers the day he was finally able to cross out all sweets from the mosshead’s dislikes list. At the time it seemed like he had tried just about every dessert he could think of to see if Zoro would eat it and none of them had landed – he had thought the ice cream he made for the crew had but Zoro admitted later he only enjoyed that it was cold, not the flavor. Sanji was about to call it quits on finding something sweet that the mosshead would eat, until they had ended up on a tropical island that is.
~~~
Nami and Vivi had left Merry quickly after the anchor was dropped, wanting to do some clothes shopping. Luffy had also run off with Usopp following close to keep their captain out of trouble. The crew’s newest member and official doctor, Chopper, had offered to stay behind saying that the hot and humid air of the tropical island they were at was making him dizzy.
Which left Sanji and Zoro to restock the ship.
Despite what it might look like, between the arguing and the fighting, the two of them did get along. Sanji often chose the swordsman’s company during parties after he had had his own fill of cooking for and dancing with locals. The two would often smoke or drink together, engaging in their chosen vices in company that would not judge or complain. Sanji also found that when the others became too much, the swordsman would gravitate towards him, both enjoying a quiet moment away from their boisterous nakama. Or when his regular workouts weren’t enough, Zoro would go to Sanji, poor insults barely hiding the fact that the swordsman wanted to spar – a request Sanji was more than happy to give in to.
Sanji would deny it to anyone that asked, but Zoro was his friend. More importantly, Zoro was his friend who would not complain about carrying enough groceries to fill their captain’s bottomless stomach as well as feed the rest of the crew for a few weeks.
They were towards the end of their shopping – both his own and Zoro’s arms were full and had bags hanging off of them – and looking for the last few things on Sanji’s list when he spotted a table selling mangos. It had been a while since Sanji had the opportunity to cook with the fruit and the multiple recipes running through his head involving the ingredient had him pulling Zoro by the haramaki to follow him over to the table while ignoring the unhappy noise the easily lost mosshead made when he did.
In the time it took to select enough mangos he knew the crew would eat before they went bad, paying for the fruit, and putting the new bag on Zoro’s outstretched arm, Sanji had decided what to do with them. Mango sticky rice would be the perfect dessert while they were at the tropical island. With the glutinous rice he had gotten earlier as well as the coconuts he could use to make coconut milk, it would be easy enough to slice the fruit to serve on top of the dish, the same coconut milk he would mix into the rice lightly drizzled over the whole thing. The rice and coconut would perfectly enhance the natural sweetness of the mango. On top of that, it was a dish Sanji hadn’t had in years and was excited to make again.
With the shopping done, the two quickly made their way back to Merry and after unloading everything, Sanji got to work on rinsing and leaving the rice to soak for a few hours. Lost in the process, Sanji had forgotten that Zoro was still in the galley.
“Is that how you cook rice?”
Jumping slightly at the sudden question, Sanji continued the process pouring water over the rice before putting the bowl off to the side.
“This rice, yes. It needs to soak for a few hours before it can be steamed. The usual rice we eat isn’t cooked like that though.”
“What are you making with it then?” Zoro asked.
“Mango sticky rice. It's a traditional dessert for tropical places like this.” Sanji watched Zoro’s face scrunch up at the word dessert, clearly not liking the idea of something sweet. Never one to not rile up the mossball when the opportunity presented itself, he added. “Since you love rice so much, this might be the one dessert your weird taste buds will actually like.”
Zoro huffed, “My taste buds are normal, it's your food that's weird.”
That was easily one of the biggest lies Zoro had told Sanji. In the time they had known each other, the swordsman never left a plate empty and often asked for seconds and occasionally thirds.
“Let's make a bet then, mosshead. If you like this dessert you have to…” Sanji paused, thinking of a proper thing to wager, “be on dish washing duty for the next month.”
He watched as Zoro’s face scrunched up for a second time and for good reason, with the amount their captain ate, it would often take an hour to wash all of the dishes for the day.
“Fine. When I hate it though,” Zoro said with Sanji snorting at how sure he sounded, “I get all the sake I want for two weeks.”
“Predictable and accepted.”
The two shook on it before Zoro left, something about checking on their doctor and training in the humidity.
The next few hours Sanji spends making coconut milk from scratch and preparing dinner, the rest of the crew filing into the galley when it was done. The now soaked rice was steaming over a pot of boiling water, cooking to perfection. Finishing his dinner, Sanji got up from his place at the table to assemble dessert. Mixing the cooked rice with the coconut milk and sugar mixture he had prepared earlier and quickly cutting the mangos into even slices. Filling a bowl for each member of the crew and placing a layer of mango on top before covering each dish with the coconut milk.
Passing out bowls he left his own and Zoro’s for last, everyone else eagerly digging into the dish. Putting Zoro’s down in front of him – the weight of their bet on both of them – he watched as the swordsman took his first bite and as Zoro’s eyes widened in a way Sanji noticed they do when the mosshead really enjoys a dish.
Sending Zoro a shit eating grin, Sanji claimed victory of their bet.
~~~
Sanji would admit he let his victory hang over Zoro’s head a bit too long, he remembers in the weeks that followed and whenever Zoro was stuck cleaning up the day’s dishes, he would bring up how much the swordsman just loooved desserts. It had led to several fights between the two in those weeks as well, the both of them making a bigger mess of the ship than Luffy during meals.
Everytime they came across an island that had mangos though, Sanji would always make the dessert and Zoro would always be the first to ask for seconds.
Turning the pages through the swordsman's enjoyment of various savory rice based dishes, sake brand preferences, and passages of foods he did not like, Sanji had made it to the lovely navigator’s section.
Nami
Preferences: tangerines, fruit in general
Dislikes: Orangette, fruit flavored foods (not real fruit)
Loves tangerines, but always looks happiest eating tangerines grown on the trees from Cocoyashi.
Sanji can’t help but remember when he had made that note, recalling the first full day they had all been on sea, back in the East Blue and sailing away from Cocoyashi Village until it was just a dot on the horizon.
~~~
After several hours holed up in Merry’s kitchen, it was finally set up to Sanji’s specifications. The spices were easy to reach from the stove, plates had made their way into cupboards instead of piled on the counter, and while the fridge sadly did not have a lock on it, he was more than happy with his new workspace.
Leaning back into the counter, he let his mind wander. Sanji had finally followed the call of adventure that had been pulling him for what felt like years. While he was still feeling guilty to leave the damn geezer – and a debt he could never pay behind until they met again – he couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had. The All Blue was out there and still needed to be discovered and he was determined to be the one to find it, something he knew he couldn’t do at Baratie.
Pulled from his reminiscing at the slight squeak of the galley door opening, Sanji straightened out and peered in that direction, not expecting anyone to be entering the kitchen at this time. He was glad he had though because it was Nami entering the kitchen. The beautiful mellorine and brilliant navigator was blessing the space with her presence!
“Nami-swan! Would you like something to drink? Or are you hungry? I can make you a snack if you wish!”
“Sanji-kun,” Nami smiled at him, “I’m good, thanks. Just looking for a basket. Have you seen one?”
Sanji paused. A basket? Now that he was thinking about it, he had put a couple away in the pantry a bit ago. “I have!” He smiled back at her, “let me get one for you!”
He moved quickly into the pantry and grabbed one of the baskets from the upper shelf he had placed them on, not expecting anyone to want them so he had put them out of the way. If Nami regularly wanted them, he would make room for them on a shelf she could reach.
“Here is that basket, mellorine!” He said, leaving the pantry and walking towards where Nami stood. “Would you like help with whatever you need this for?” While Sanji was done with what he had been doing, he would have gladly dropped everything to give Nami a hand.
“If you don’t mind. I was going to get some tangerines and most of the ones ready to pick are higher up.”
Sanji beamed with hearts in his eyes.
“Gladly! Lead the way, Nami-swan!”
He trailed obediently after the navigator, the two quickly making their way outside and behind the galley where the tangerine trees had been planted. Sanji noticed a ladder had already been placed near one of them, set up and ready for use. When they got close, Nami started to climb the ladder with it shifting slightly under her as she did so. With quick reflexes, Sanji placed a foot on the last step of the ladder to stabilize it for her.
“Be careful!”
Looking up, Sanji saw Nami roll her eyes, “I’ve climbed a ladder before, I know what I’m doing.”
He offered her an apologetic smile, he hadn’t meant to offend her, “I’m sorry, Nami-san. I know you can, you’re more than capable of anything you wish to do.”
A sad smile formed on her face as she placed a few tangerines into the basket Sanji lifted up to her.
“I don’t know about that.” Nami said in a soft voice.
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” She started, clearly unsure of how to phrase what she wanted to say. “I wouldn’t say I’m capable of anything. I couldn’t even save Cocoyashi, you guys did that.”
Sanji couldn’t help but stare at her, blinking slowly. “You don’t really think that do you?” Surely she couldn’t. “It wasn’t us that motivated the village to fight back.” He said, Nami’s full attention on him now instead of gazing at the tangerines holding on to branches. “That was you. You’re incredible, Nami-san!”
The light blush she gave at his praise for her reminded him of spring, bold pink roses blooming. She looked more lovely than ever. A quick shake of her head and it was gone.
“Well it was still you guys that beat them up. I could never do that.”
With the basket now filled with perfect tangerines, Sanji reached up to take it from her and offered her a hand as she made her way back down the ladder. Nami took the offered hand as she jumped off the last step, taking her hand back along with the basket she had filled.
“I would never say never, Nami-san.” Sanji said with a smile. “But for the things you can’t do, we will do. And you’ll do the things we can’t. After all, we would be lost, wandering the sea without you to lead us.”
Nami gave him a cheshire smile. “Sounds like a deal!”
She moved to put the ladder up against the wall near the trees before sitting down with the basket in front of one, gesturing for him to do the same. No thought was needed on his part in taking her offer, sitting in the dirt across from her. Just as he settled in, a tangerine was tossed his way and he stumbled a bit to catch it. Nami’s laughter at his fumble was music to his ears.
Looking back at her, he was able to watch as she took her first bite from the fruit – the wedge she had chosen to eat first the perfect shade of orange. Her smile grew around the bite, pure happiness found in the perfect blend of sweet and tart. Sanji could feel the gears in his head turn as he thought of recipes involving tangerines. Delicate desserts and dazzling drinks.
Nami gave his leg a gentle kick with her own, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“Eat, Sanji-kun!”
Who was he to deny the request of a beautiful woman?
~~~
Sanji continued flipping through Nami’s section of his journal. The pages filled with recipes involving tangerines and various other fruits, each one he had tried since that day never failing to bring a smile to Nami’s face. The navigator had been through so much and Sanji would make it his mission to keep her happy. To keep tangerine bright smiles on her face.
He knew she still needed a bit more time to think over what he had done in Whole Cake before their friendship could fully recover to what it used to be though. He could tell that it was almost there, with Nami calling him ‘Sanji-kun’ again and letting him bring her her usual snacks during the day. Sanji hopes that one day they can share tangerines under her village’s trees again like they often would when they were at sea.
Turning the last couple of empty pages of Nami’s section, he read the beginning of Usopp’s.
Usopp
Preferences: Pike (from autumn islands especially), fish in general
Dislikes: Mushrooms
DO NOT GIVE USOPP MUSHROOMS.
Sanji couldn’t stop the laugh that left him reading the first line of Usopp’s entry. The mushroom thing really was an accident and mostly Usopp’s fault, he swears by that no matter how dramatic Usopp likes to tell the story.
~~~
It was a good thing they had a doctor on board now because Sanji was pretty sure without Chopper, Usopp would probably be dead.
That is definitely an exaggeration but Usopp sure did make it seem that way. The sniper was currently crying about how he “couldn’t die this young” and “save me, doctor! I still have so much left to live for!” Sanji was honestly impressed by the theatrics Usopp was displaying, or he would be if he wasn’t so riddled with guilt for having given Usopp something he was potentially very allergic to.
Sanji made a mental note to update Usopp’s entry in his journal about his issue with mushrooms, he didn’t realize it was so serious when he had asked for everyone’s preferences over their first dinner back in the East Blue.
This whole thing was a huge accident really. He hadn’t even intended to give Usopp the mushrooms to begin with.
They had landed on a new island that morning and Usopp, having taken a look at the island and declaring he had can’t-go-to-a-scary-island disease, decided to stay behind on the ship. Which left the rest of them to explore the strange landscape in front of them. The island itself, while covered in a dark and gloomy forest, seemed safe and uninhabited. After a few hours of walking through thick forests, the only thing any of them had found of value was a variety of mushrooms that he and Chopper and Robin had determined were not poisonous. The fungi had a firm texture and would be perfect for fried mushrooms so Sanji worked to fill the bag he brought with them before they all returned to the ship.
Entering the galley, Sanji got to work right away on washing the mushrooms for a snack for the crew. As he was in the process of coating them, he remembered Usopp saying that he didn’t like mushrooms, the sniper had only shivered a bit without elaborating on why. It wasn’t an issue to make a snack their sniper would like though. Something Sanji and Usopp shared was a tolerance and enjoyment of spicy food so he pulled out some jalapenos, cut them into bite sized rounds before coating those as well and dropping them into the hot oil.
Just as he was finishing up, Usopp came into the galley near cartoonish in the way he practically floated on the air and sniffed out where the salty fried food sat.
“Wow, Sanji!” Usopp greeted him. “This smells really good!”
Sanji chuckled at the sight before replying as he turned back to the stove, “Help yourself! I’m finishing the last batch now.”
He had thought that it would be obvious, the difference in shape and size of the fried mushrooms and jalapenos but apparently it wasn’t as obvious as he thought. While shaking the excess oil off of a fresh batch of fried mushrooms, Sanji heard coughing behind him followed quickly by a muttered, “Oh no.”
Turning back to where Usopp stood, he could see the younger man holding his throat with a panicked look on his face.
“Uhhhh I think I’m going to die.”
Sanji could do nothing but blink for a few moments before responding.
“WHAT?!”
After Usopp explained that he was highly allergic to mushrooms and quickly saying he had gotten sick the last time he ate them, Sanji had rushed to grab Chopper and stood nearby as the little doctor performed his exam, after panicking himself.
That was a while ago now though with no change in Usopp’s current state. Chopper had decided to run some allergy tests to see if Usopp really was allergic to the fungus.
“The results came back, Usopp and good news!” Chopper looked up from the paper he had in his hooves to look at his patient instead. “You aren’t allergic to mushrooms!”
Sanji and Usopp just blinked at Chopper, silent until Sanji chose to break it.
“So he isn’t allergic to mushrooms?”
“Nope!” Chopper’s cheerful voice replied with a smile, unaware of the growing irritation in Sanji.
“So he won’t die if he eats one?”
“Nope!”
Sanji turned away from their doctor and towards the over-dramatic sniper who had taken to looking up at the ceiling and inching away from Sanji, and towards the door.
~~~
He remembers yelling at Usopp for fifteen minutes after that about the importance of letting him know what he did and did not like, as well as any actual allergies they all had so that they didn’t have to go through all of that again. Usopp had taken it all in stride, sitting quietly and looking sheepish as Sanji ranted on a topic he was passionate about.
Flipping through the pages dedicated to their sniper, Sanji had made extremely diligent notes of what Usopp actually liked, having been spooked by the entire experience and refused to repeat it. It was something he was careful about in the rest of the crew's pages as well. As a chef, it was his duty to make sure all of his nakama were well provided for as far as their food was concerned, careful to highlight allergies each of them had especially.
As it turns out though, Usopp isn’t allergic to anything. Turning the pages, Sanji had made notes of all of the things Usopp had thought or claimed he was allergic to and the date of the corresponding test Chopper had run to verify that he wasn’t.
Sanji can’t help but wonder what Usopp is getting up to in Wano and what new ‘allergies’ he had developed in the time he has been gone. When his thoughts begin to stray into how the nakama he hasn’t seen yet will react to his return, Sanji shakes his head, focusing on the present and turning the pages of his journal until he gets to their former nakama’s section, a small smile on his face as he thinks of their princess.
Vivi
Preferences: Curry, pudding
Dislikes: Dried squid
Enjoys curry on the spicier side, says it reminds her of home.
Reading her section, Sanji can’t help but reminisce about the last time he saw Vivi, right after they had celebrated and gave her the choice to join them. Looking behind him to where the cookbooks from Alabasta sits, Sanji leans further back in his chair and remembers how he got them.
~~~
The halls were dark as Sanji made his way back to the crew's rooms in Alubarna’s castle. He had just finished talking to head chef Terracotta about a few of the local dishes and helping the kitchen staff clean up after feeding the crew. Everything the chef had told him replayed in Sanji’s mind. The exact amounts of curry powder in the various dishes, how to make perfect falafels, the ratio preferred in Alabasta for flavored shaved ice, and -
“Sanji!”
Pulled from his thoughts by the familiar voice, he turned around to watch as Vivi ran towards him. Sanji could feel hearts form in his eyes as he watched her close the distance. Seeing the princess so soon after having offered her a permanent spot on the crew was unexpected, but welcome for the chef.
“Princess Vivi! To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” He said, bowing low before straightening out again before the princess.
Vivi reacted to his dramatics in her usual way – with a friendly smile and laugh – before replying, “I had stopped by everyone’s room to give you all gifts for helping save Alabasta but you weren’t there. The others said you went to the kitchens one last time though so I would be able to find you there.”
“A gift?” It was then that Sanji noticed she was carrying a couple of books and from what he could see of the titles, she had picked well for him.
Seeing where he was looking, Vivi took the books from where they were held under her arm and handed them to him.
“They are cookbooks. I know you have been asking the chefs for recipes too but I didn’t want you to leave without these. I hope you will be able to use them on your adventures!” Vivi said, a strained smile and a finality to her words Sanji didn’t like hearing.
“It sounds like you are already saying goodbye.”
“I think,” Viv said, hesitantly with misty eyes, “I think I am. I want to sail with you all, I really do but I-”
Sanji cut her off with a hug, gentle and one Vivi could easily get out of should she wish too.
“We want you to join us because we are selfish, but we all know how much your country means to you. We won’t be upset if you choose to stay. Mostly, we want you to join us because none of us want to say goodbye.”
Vivi wrapped her arms around him in response, no other words needed to be spoken.
~~~
Sanji can’t remember how long, but they had stayed in the hug a while longer before separating with Sanji taking the princess’s generous gift with him and heading back to the crew’s rooms, Vivi heading to her own. Not a ‘goodbye’ but an ‘until we meet again’ hanging behind them.
Of the crew, Vivi’s is the section with the most blank pages. Even now, Sanji couldn’t help but hope that she would join them again so that he could fill them, for the opportunity to get to know her through the dishes they try on countless adventures. That and the princess’s company was sorely missed by those of the crew that sailed with her. They all still talked about her often, hoping that she and Alabasta are doing well.
Quickly flipping through blank pages, Sanji read the first page of Chopper’s section. The first page is full, even the margins with formulas and sugary recipes.
Chopper
Preferences: Cotton candy, chocolate, sweets in general
Dislikes: Spicy food (no exceptions)
Traditional candy coating is too water soluble, last batch left Chopper’s clothes a mess when we visited a rainy island. Try replacing half of the sugar with…
His writing continued in a long list of possibilities to improve the flavor and structure of Chopper’s rumble balls, the little doctor having approached him shortly after joining, hoping his expertise as a chef could make them taste like cotton candy instead of the chemicals they were made out of.
Sanji and Chopper had since gotten the recipe down after many, many, many failed attempts. The rain still tapping against the walls of the galley had him recalling when the two had finally gotten the recipe right.
~~~
While he had never been sick, Sanji was sure he would get a cold from doing this, but standing out in the torrential downpour to see if he and Chopper finally got the recipe down for the reindeer’s cotton candy flavored rumble balls was worth it.
Determining how to make the bitter, dry, and chalky enhancements for the doctor taste like his favorite food was the easy part. Making sure they wouldn’t dissolve right away when the ship hit a storm – much like the one they were currently standing in – or if Chopper found himself in the ocean – which happened more often than any of the crew liked – had proved to be difficult. After weeks of trial and error though, the recipe they had come up with after long hours in the galley or infirmary would hopefully prove to be able to withstand anything the Grand Line could throw at them.
“Ready, Chopper?” Sanji yelled over the storm.
“Ready, Sanji!” Chopper yelled back, just visible through the downpour on the other side of Sunny’s lawn.
Sanji held a stopwatch in one hand so that he could time how long Chopper stayed in the form. One of their previous experiments had been structurally sound but had caused Chopper to drop whatever form he was in after just one minute instead of the usual three.
Chopper pulled a rumble ball from his pocket, notably not dissolved or leaving a trace of residue on his hoof before the reindeer bit into it, changing into his Guard Point. Sanji started the stopwatch and watched as Chopper jumped around, verifying that the changes to his original recipe didn’t change the effectiveness of Guard Point.
Sanji watched as time ticked on. One minute, Chopper was still in his form. The second minute, the reindeer was still moving around, as strong as ever. As the stopwatch approached the third minute, Chopper was still moving as he usually could! Right when the watch hit the three minute mark, Chopper’s form began to change, shifting the reindeer back into his smaller and usual shape.
They had done it!
Sanji cheered as he rushed towards his small nakama, lifting the exhausted doctor into the air and twirling them in the rain as they both laughed and smiled at each other. Their experiment was finally successful!
“Did you see that, Sanji!”
“I did! You were incredible, Chopper!” Sanji replied, smiling wide as he looked at the wiggling reindeer in his hold, blushing from the praise.
“That doesn’t make me happy, you bastard!”
“Of course not. What if we had some actual cotton candy to celebrate our experiment finally going right?” He said, already knowing the reindeer’s answer as Chopper jumped out of his hold and dragged him to the galley.
~~~
Sanji couldn’t help but be proud of their doctor’s strength and intelligence – Chopper’s training over the two years they had all been away allowed him to access all but his Monster Point without the need for a rumble ball now.
He also couldn’t help but be grateful for the kindness Chopper had been showing him the past couple of days. Sanji still couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t deserve it at times. His young nakama checked up on him regularly to reapply ointment to his bruises, making sure he was sleeping well by crawling into his bunk with him to make sure he stayed asleep, and often just sitting within sight of him as he cooked dinner in the galley. It was clear that Chopper had missed him just as much as Sanji had missed him back in the days he was away from the crew.
Working to will the tears from his eyes as he thought of the little reindeer’s care, he turned the pages of Chopper’s section. Each page filled with more and more sugary treats until he had made it to Robin’s section.
Robin
Preferences: Sandwiches, coffee, lightly sweetened cakes
Dislikes: Gum
Loves coffee in all forms but seems to enjoy a lightly sweetened macchiato the most. She always has the most beautiful smile on her face as she drinks it. Occasionally enjoys shortbread cookies with her macchiato.
When was the last time Sanji had made both him and Robin macchiatos and shortbread cookies? The events of Whole Cake had screwed with his perception of just how much time had really passed because while he knows it's only been a couple of weeks since they were all together last, it seems like ages since he and Robin last engaged in their afternoon ritual.
~~~
The cold from Punk Hazard still lingered on the ship and in the air as they sailed away, the strange island no longer a spot on the horizon for them to look at. Srill, the deck of Sunny was full of life though, despite the chill. Sanji’s nakama were bundled in coats and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were trying to get one of their newest passengers, the Warlord Trafalgar Law, to play a game with them – the moody doctor trying and failing to find peace and quiet.
For his part, Sanji just laughed at the warlord’s attempt to escape from the table he sat at with Robin, both enjoying the creamy espresso drinks he had prepared for them as well as snacking on a plate of buttery shortbread cookies. Cookies that, when dunked into their drinks, became even more flavorful after soaking up the espresso. The sounds of laughter, clinking metal weights, and soft violin the perfect background song to their conversation.
Shortly after Robin had joined the crew over two years ago, the two of them quickly realized they had a lot in common, their love for written works being one of them. They had gotten into the habit of sharing coffee and cookies together every few days to discuss the books they were in the process of reading.
Robin was in the middle of describing a book she had found about the Shandia people, claiming to have been reminiscing over their time in Skypiea and suddenly curious about the tribe’s older rituals.
“-the ritual processes of the island really are fascinating. Although according to the book they no longer practice human sacrifices, it must have been a sight to behold.” Robin said with a small smile, the grimness of the story never ceasing to fascinate her. Robin always looked beautiful, even when sharing the most morbid of stories.
Sanji took a sip and nodded in agreement with Robin while his thoughts drifted to their adventures in Skypiea. It was their first adventure with Robin on the crew after all, the rest of them discovering the archaeologist’s love of history in the strange land in the sky.
“I wonder how they all are,” Sanji says, “in Skypiea I mean.”
If Robin is surprised by his thought, she doesn’t show it. Just quietly sips from her macchiato with a thoughtful expression. “They have security now and the people there are peaceful instead of at war,” She says with her small, thoughtful smile, “I am sure they are enjoying that now.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Robin-chan. I find I can’t help but wonder about the people we have met and left behind sometimes and wonder how they are doing.” Sanji’s thoughts turn to Conis and Pagaya, Raki and Aisa and Wyper. He hopes they have found peace, they deserve it after all they had been through with the false god.
Sanji is pulled from his thoughts by Robin’s laughter. Confused by what caused it but happy to hear it all the same he gives the archeologist a smile before finishing his drink.
“That is very like you, Sanji.” Robin says. “Always thinking of others and wishing them the best. Your kindness is admirable.”
~~~
If Sanji recalls correctly, he had spent the rest of that day with a light blush at Robin’s praise. She was always nicer to him than he deserved, but maybe it was because one lonely soul was good at sensing another, their perceptive archeologist has always had a way of seeing right to the core of him.
He also remembers Law asking to join them that day in an attempt to escape the others, an attempt that had been successful. Sanji had grabbed the doctor a chair and an americano while noticing the man ignore the cookies at the table, his aversion for bread extending to the snack as well.
Turning back to his journal and away from his memories, he took in the recipes on the pages. The rest of Robin’s section is decorated with her love of sandwiches, a vast variety with her favorites lovingly marked. He wonders what other variations he can try and which will become Robin’s next favorite.
The shipwrights section is next. Franky’s first page is filled from edge to edge with notes on what type of nutrition a cyborg needs, Sanji having asked Franky an afternoon’s worth of questions about it when he joined. As it turns out, Franky eats as a normal human does and only needs the extra cola to fuel his attacks.
Franky
Preferences: hamburgers, fries, cola (both in drink and as fuel)
Dislikes: Marshmallow, squishy food in general? Has not enjoyed anything he deems too soft yet.
Enjoys joining at the grill to make hamburgers. Franky wouldn’t even let me cook his own celebration dinner to welcome him to the crew.
Their first evening on the Sunny plays through Sanji’s head and of how Franky had refused to let him cook hamburgers – a dish Sanji could handle blindfolded – alone. He admittedly hadn’t put up much of a fight, the idea of cooking with someone again reminding him too much of the kitchen at Baratie.
~~~
Sanji had offered to help Franky set up the grill, but their newest nakama said he could handle it and would set it up “suuuuuper fast.” Which was not an understatement in the least. Sanji was leaning against the rail and barely started smoking a cigarette when Franky finished putting the grill together, lighting it quickly.
“It will take a few minutes to fully heat up and then we are good to go, cook-bro!” Franky said walking towards him, one large hand raised in a thumbs up.
“Sounds good,” Sanji replied, “I’ve got the meat and buns prepared already as well as the classic burger toppings. Was there anything specific you wanted on yours?”
“Just the classics are good. I’m not one for anything too fancy or burgers with a million toppings on them where they are too tall to eat.” Franky said, laughing at whatever mental picture he had conjured of a tall burger.
“Same, too many flavors and they all just get lost in one another too.”
Franky slapped him on the back – nearly causing Sanji to swallow the last of his cigarette from the unexpected force behind it – all while jovially laughing.
“I knew you would understand me, cook-bro! We're gonna get along great, I can tell.”
Sanji just laughed in return. Even after what Franky and his family had done to Usopp, he couldn’t help but like the guy. The cyborg's easy going manner was infectious. His antics were silly in a way that perfectly matched the energies of the rest of the crew. On top of all of that, he was a damn good shipwright, building the most perfect kitchen Sanji could have ever asked for and a ship of dreams for them all to sail on.
“Looks like the grill is all warmed up, ready to get cooking?” Franky asked.
Sanji worked on rolling up his sleeves as he moved towards the grill, tossing Franky one of the spatulas he had brought out.
“Ready when you are.” He said with a smile, ready to put his temporary sous chef to work.
It felt good to be cooking side by side with someone again, even if Franky was vastly different from the chefs at Baratie. Laughing loudly where the chefs would have yelled insults hiding compliments. Helpful in putting the burgers together where he was used to not so subtle critiques of how he structured a dish. Despite all of those differences, he couldn’t help but think of how lucky he was, to have one home beneath his feet and the other in the East Blue, waiting for his return.
Even though they had only known each other a short while, Sanji and Franky worked surprisingly well together. Franky easily took his orders of when to flip burgers on areas of the grill that burned hotter than others and the order to place the toppings when assembling. Sanji also learned a bit from Franky too. How Franky preferred his burgers a little less done than Sanji would have usually made them or how he went lighter on the mustard and put more ketchup than he would have chosen for himself.
Franky had also helped when it came to serving the burgers, carrying a plate stacked high towards their captain while Sanji set up another plate for his temporary sous chef, handing the cyborg his plate and making his nakama sit down while Sanji handled the rest.
Passing out plates to his remaining nakama as well as grabbing the fries that were keeping warm in the oven out for the crew to snack on. Lastly, ice cold colas, one for each of his nakama.
Instead of sitting around the table in the galley, they had all come to an unspoken agreement to enjoy dinner picnic style on Sunny’s grassy lawn and listen as Franky told story after story about his life in Water 7.
~~~
After that day, whenever it was nice enough to grill outside, Sanji always found Franky to be a competent sous chef. In his introspection, he found that he really missed those moments with Franky. The two of them often did not need to actually talk about what they were cooking and instead enjoyed creating a meal for their nakama together. They usually talked about other things, Franky’s ideas for a new kitchen appliance or Sanji’s ideas to flavor cola with various ingredients.
When they met up again, Sanji would see if Franky would join him in cooking again. He hoped that the rain they were in now didn’t follow them all their way to Wano so they could cook for the crew together again.
Returning to his journal, the rest of Franky’s section was filled with cola flavors that Sanji had experimented with, the ones Franky enjoyed most highlighted in blue. Preferred meats that could be ground up for burger patties and fish preferences also filled the page, noting that while Franky would eat whatever Sanji had placed in front of him, he preferred his dishes either grilled or fried.
The journal’s next section had given Sanji the most trouble. What do you feed someone who is already dead?
Brook
Preferences: Curry (lots of spice, how does Brook taste?)
Dislikes: Lemons, sour or tart foods in general (once cried because he couldn’t make a sour face)
Brook seems to like his food well spiced. I think it has to deal with the fact that he doesn’t actually have a tongue? He described it once as “the stronger the flavor, the more he can feel it.”
This apparently does not apply to black tea, which he enjoys drinking at all hours of the day.
It could be because he is on night watch now, or because of the section he had written about Brook’s love of black tea, but Sanji couldn’t stop himself from remembering that first night watch he had right after Brook had joined the crew.
They were just a few days outside of Thriller Bark and on their way to Sabaody, in the days before his observation haki had been developed and he had gotten startled easily.
~~~
Sanji’s days were often filled with making sure his nakama’s needs were met. Whether it be making sure they were each well fed with nutritious meals, washing and hanging up laundry, fighting the local plant life when his workouts were too boring, or in general just messing around and playing with the younger members of the crew, Sanji was always busy.
Which is why he enjoyed taking the first night shift. As much as he loved each of his nakama, he also craved time to spend alone. To reflect on the meals he had served in the day and to fill out the pages of his most personal journal with the crew’s likes and dislikes. Even though none of them would say they disliked something, he had spent most of his life at Baratie and was able to pick up on the clues people left while eating. A slight grimace at a spice they weren’t expecting or small smiles when a dish was cooked to perfection. Sanji knew all of the tells and made note of each.
However, the crew’s newest nakama was still a bit of a mystery. Brook, while initially strange given he was a walking, talking skeleton, had easily fit in with the crew. That wasn’t that problem though. The problem was, being a skeleton it was harder for Brook to shape his face into various expressions like the rest of the crew and for Sanji to read Brook’s face for signs of whether or not he enjoyed the food in front of him.
The simple solution to the problem would be to just ask the musician what he liked but Sanji’s naturally over worried thoughts had taken hold of him again. Would Brook be offended or ask why I was only asking him about what he liked? What if he couldn’t even taste what he was eating and it didn’t even matter?
Sanji leaned back into his chair, sighing loudly. “What do skeletons even eat?”
“Well, I like curry.” A voice behind him said.
Sanji would deny the high pitched squeak that came from him, startled by a presence he hadn’t heard enter the galley. Holding his hand to his chest and trying to get his breathing under control after being surprised, Sanji turned around to where Brook was standing in the kitchen, a cup of black tea in hand.
His brain finally catching up to what Brook had said, he responded. “Curry?”
The skeleton nodded his reply. “I don’t like lemon though, they are very sour and my face can’t make the right shape to express that given I have no muscles! Yohohoho!”
“Huh. I guess that makes sense.”
Sanji turned back around and made those notes in his book.
“Is it…” Sanji paused, unsure of how to ask what he wanted before continuing, “can I ask you a few questions? About how you eat, I mean.”
Brook gave him what Sanji had realized a few days ago was a smile before replying.
“Of course! Ask away, cook-san!”
~~~
Sanji had filled a whole page and a half of Brook’s entry that night, the musician talking in length about his preferences in spices and flavors, bitter and spicy being his favorite and sour being his least. He had ended his shift and went to bed with dozens of recipes to try for his newest nakama, excited by the idea to expand his skill set.
Since their discussion, Sanji had also started separating part of everything he cooked to the side to season a little more heavily to make sure Brook could taste every flavor he put into the dish.
Flipping through pages of preferred spice combinations and blends of black tea, Sanji had finally come to the last section of his journal. While the fishman was not physically with them, Jinbei was still part of the crew with his section being created way back when they were still in Fishman Island, after Luffy had invited Jinbei to join.
Jinbei
Preferences: Mozuku (in vinegar and/or with fruit)
Dislikes: Parfaits (potentially all distinctly layered food?)
Mozuku was a particularly difficult dish to get right despite how simple it seemed. By the time Jinbei met up with them in Wano, Sanji hopes he can get the flavors just right so that the fishman never feels too far from home when eating it.
~~~
It was safe to say that Sanji was drunk. It could have been because they were so far under the sea that he was being affected more heavily but he was only halfway through his second bottle of wine before he started stumbling. Normally, it would take at least 3 bottles before he was this bad but honestly, the cook could care less. They were celebrating after all! He was allowed to drink a bit and have fun.
He needed some air though, the crowded room making him feel claustrophobic so he told the lovely mermaids he was talking to that he would find them again and left to try to find a space to smoke. As he wandered, he could hear familiar sounds of snoring and finding the source he saw the mosshead surrounded by a few bottles of his own and taking a nap on a balcony. Peering into the large space he noticed the sleeping seaweed was not alone, Jinbei was out there too.
Sanji’s newest nakama seemed to be having a pleasant evening, enjoying the peace found on the balcony. The Strawhat cook had a few questions for the fishman though that he wanted answered. Mind made up, Sanji nodded his head in agreement with himself, stumbling again when the movement made him dizzy and went to where his nakama was sitting.
“Jinbei!” He yelled out as he stumbled onto the balcony while waving at him.
He watched as Jinbei turned to look at him, a smile on his face as he patted the spot on the ground next to him. “Sanji, join me!”
Needing no other invitation, Sanji plopped down into the space Jinbei had made for him.
“Hey!” He said, remembering the reason he had come this way to begin with, “I have a question for you!”
Jinbei looked surprised but answered kindly, “Oh, what is it?”
“What’s your favorite food?”
“My favorite food?”
“Yeah,” Sanji said, sobering up slightly now that he had fresh air, “you’re joining the crew so as its cook, I need to know what kind of food you like.”
Jinbei gave a loud laugh in response, amusement clear as the water that surrounded Fishman Island but answering him all the same, “I like mozuku. Have you had it before?”
Sanji nodded his head. He had had mozuku before, although it had been a while and he knew there were several different ways to serve and prepare it. A handful of recipes filled his head right away, but they were all how the seaweed was prepared on the surface, not how it was prepared ten thousand leagues beneath the sea where the fishman was from.
“How do you prepare it here?”
Jinbei laughed at his question again and quickly stood, helping Sanji to his feet as well.
“My favorite is actually being served at the feast, would you like to try it with me?”
Sanji nodded in the affirmative again before gesturing for Jinbei to lead the way.
~~~
Unsurprisingly, Jinbei preferred his mozuku prepared in the traditional way of Fishman Island, full of flavor from the seaweed mixing with vinegar and fruit. Jinbei had said that while he prefers the variety of fruit down deep in the sea, he does enjoy all kinds mixed with the seaweed.
To prepare for their nakama’s arrival, Sanji had been preparing mozuku with every variety of fruit they came across, making notes of the recipes for Jinbei to try when he joins, highlighting the ones closest to the flavors he had on Fishman Island.
Now that he had finished, he wasn't sure why he was so nervous to read this journal. The book had made Sanji come to a clear realization, one that Luffy had punched into him a few days ago in the pouring rain that had just clicked.
Sanji was where he belonged. On Sunny and sailing the world. Searching until he found All Blue. Living the rest of his days as the Strawhat Pirates cook.
As springtime rain patters against the window, Sanji allows himself one last reverie to think of his nakama. The ones on the ship, sleeping peacefully in their bunks. The several in Wano, waiting for them. One ruling a country they had saved. Another left behind with a promise to see them in Wano.
Sanji closes his journal with his love decorating the pages.
He can’t wait for them all to be together again.