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“Have fun ashore, everyone!” Koby calls from the Merry’s main deck, waving down to the rest of the crew.
He gets a few waves back in return before everyone heads their separate ways. It’s a tiny island they’ve docked at, with no real port to speak of, but it’ll be a good opportunity for the crew to get off the ship and stretch their legs. Luffy must have been so excited for a chance to explore that he went ahead before everyone else! But Koby doesn’t join them. He has other plans to beat the monotony.
As soon as they’re out of sight, he dashes to the galley and slams the door, resting his back against it. He takes a deep breath to calm down, but he still can’t help the giddy little grin that comes to his face. He carefully planned this surprise for the better part of a month, after all.
He’s quick to run to the pantry and gather up the supplies he’d tucked away. If Sanji ever found out he’d used a lot of his ingredients, he’d gut him like a trout. So Koby did extra work around the ship for Nami in exchange for borrowing some funds. He asked her to keep it a secret, but of course that cost extra. He didn’t want to think about the interest she’d tack on.
But it was worth it! Their stop a week ago let him procure everything he’d need. Flour, salt, baking soda…
“And most expensive of all,” Koby mutters as he pulls out a trio of small bags. Two containing sugar and brown sugar, respectively, and the third a few bars of chocolate. “Now I understand why HQ was so stingy with this stuff.”
He’d budgeted for the bacon being the most expensive. But to his shock, the sugars and chocolate ate up over half of his budget. Hopefully Sanji won't miss a few eggs. Besides, Koby will add whatever was left over to their stocks, so it was a win-win! Right?
He pauses while placing everything on the counter, considering the consequences. An involuntary shudder runs up his spine.
He sure hopes he’s right.
He shakes his head and refocuses. He’s only got a few hours max before everyone comes back. If he wants to make this happen, he has to be fast.
He gathers up the remaining ingredients and various cooking implements he’ll need. As he’s hefting a cast iron skillet onto the stove, he swears he feels eyes on his back. He looks over his shoulder, but as he expected, no one is there.
Weird.
He turns the stove on and lets the skillet warm, tracking down a pair of scissors in the meantime. Cutting the twine and peeling back the butcher’s paper the bacon is stored in is more satisfying than he thought it’d be. The slices fall and fan out neatly, making it easy for him to pick them up with chopsticks and lay them flat in the pan.
The galley is quickly filled with the warm aroma of bacon sizzling away. He has two pounds to get through, but he can’t rush this step. Tempted as he is to crank up the heat, he knows that bacon is best cooked low and slow. He’d learned that the hard way in his past life. And he’d prefer not to repeat a pan full of billowing smoke, thank you very much.
As he turns the first slices in the pan, the feeling of eyes on his back hits him again. His haki prickles, warning him of near murderous intent. But the warning comes too late.
Before Koby can react, he’s grabbed by the shoulders and spun around to face a very angry Luffy.
“Koby…” he growls, eyes narrowed at him. “What are you doing?”
“C-captain! I uh, I-I can explain!” Koby stammers out, but Luffy is having none of it.
“No need. It’s obvious,” Luffy grumbles as he lets Koby go, crossing his arms with a huff. “You snuck into the galley to make food and didn’t invite me-” Luffy can’t stop himself from pouting as he continues. “-because Koby wants to keep it all for himself!”
Wait, what? Koby’s expression changes from worry to amusement. Does Luffy really think he can eat two entire pounds of bacon by himself?
“I-”
“I can’t believe you sometimes!” Luffy huffs, cutting him off. “Going off on secret missions, getting into fights, ok. Fine!” He jabs a finger at Koby, poking him right in the nose. “But I draw the line at making food without me!”
Koby stares up at his captain for a moment before he starts giggling. He can’t help it, the logic is so silly and undeniably Luffy that it loops back around to making perfect sense. Of course the thing Luffy is focused on is the food, not that Koby was hiding something from him. The giggles break into full on laughter as Luffy withdraws his finger.
“What’s so funny?” Luffy asks, baffled by Koby’s reaction.
“I-I’m frying this up for you and Zoro, Luffy!” Koby manages around his laughter. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but I guess I should have known there’s no hiding meat from you,” He finishes, his laugh tapering off.
Luffy takes a moment to process what Koby said. The next thing he knows, Luffy has gathered him up in a hug, smiling and laughing as he spins them around the room.
“Koby’s the best!” Luffy yells while squeezing Koby tight.
Unfortunately, the grab doesn’t account for the spinning. Koby is stuck in the very uncomfortable position of being squished face first into Luffy’s chest. He frantically slaps at Luffy’s back, muffled protests falling on deaf ears. It’s only when Luffy stops dead in his tracks and sniffs the air that Koby’s able to shove himself away and draw in a much needed breath.
“Do you smell smoke?” Luffy asks.
Koby gasps, untangling himself from Luffy to dash back to the stove.
“THE BACON!”
*****
“So,” Luffy says while crunching on slightly overcooked bacon. “You wanted to surprise us all with cookies?”
“Yeah,” Koby replies, carefully pouring hot grease out of the pan and into a measuring cup. “We’ve dealt with a lot lately, you know? And we also got a new crew member, so I thought it would be a good way to celebrate.”
Ah, he’s only got half a cup. Looks like he’ll need to save the grease from the next batch after all.
“Sanji already cooked a welcome feast, but I won’t say no to more food. ” Luffy extends his arm towards the raw bacon Koby is about to put in the pan. Koby jabs him with the chopsticks, making him yelp and yank his arm back. “Mean!”
“Captain, it’s not cooked!”
“So?”
“You’ll get trichinosis!”
“But bacon’s good! I don’t care about tricky noses or whatever.” Luffy punctuates that by crossing his arms and puffing his cheeks out.
Koby can’t help but roll his eyes and chuckle. He turns back to the rest of the bacon, gently nudging the pieces to keep them from curling up weird. Luffy comes to stand behind him, watching the bacon pop and sizzle in the pan.
“Can I help?” Luffy asks after a few moments. Koby looks over his shoulder at him.
“Help?”
“Yeah!” Luffy grins ear to ear. “I helped Makino cook all the time back home!”
Koby cocks his head. Makino? He’s never heard of her before… she can’t be Luffy’s mom, because he’d have called her mom. Maybe she was a friend of his? Luffy’s grin falters a bit, startling Koby out of his thoughts.
“But if Koby wants this to be his surprise, I guess I can just watch.”
“Huh?! No no! I’d love your help!” he replies just a little too quickly. Luffy’s grin returns fully.
“Great! I’ll get the flour and stuff mixed!”
Before Koby can say anything further, Luffy’s already snagged the flour sack off the counter and yanked the wrong end open. Koby dives to put himself between the flour bomb and the bacon. Luffy’s entire front is left covered in a white haze, while Koby’s back gets the same result.
Luffy coughs once, a white puff leaving his mouth. “...oops.”
“Well, it’s open now, at least,” Koby sighs, looking at the mess on the counter. “We need 4 cups of flour. I left a measuring cup and bowl out for the dry ingredients.”
Luffy dutifully grabs the measuring cup and swipes the flour onto the counter into it. Koby’s suddenly glad he wiped everything down before they started. He (carefully this time) grabs the bag and tips it up, pouring out the rest of the flour they need.
Satisfied that no more flour explosions will occur, Koby grabs the sugars and the measuring scoops and sets to work getting a cup of each in the bowl. He grabs a spoon out of the utensil holder on the counter to get everything stirred together. It’s honestly one of his favorite parts, watching the sparkling white crystals mix in with the darker brown. Before he forgets, he peeks at the bacon, checking to make sure it’s not overcooking. Oh, it’s done!
“Where’s the floofers?” Luffy asks, banging open cabinets and drawers.
Koby pauses in transferring the last bit of bacon from the pan to the plate he’d set out for the bacon to cool on.
“The what?”
“The floofers! The stuff you add to make the cookies floof up!”
Floof up. What does Luffy mean by… Oh!
“The baking soda is on the counter, Luffy,” he says as he gets the last piece of bacon on the plate. “We’ll need one and a half teaspoons.”
He pours the rest of the hot grease into the measuring cup. Ah, there. Now he’s got the cup of bacon grease he needed. He looks over his shoulder in time to see Luffy shaking the baking soda container, arms a blur of motion. Thankfully the lid is still on.
“Wha-”
“Makino always said to break up the clumps before you scoop!” Luffy replies before he can even finish his question.
Well, that’s reasonable enough. Luffy slams the container down on the counter when he’s done, making Koby jump a bit. He pops the lid off with one hand while extending his other arm around Koby, snatching the measuring spoons.
“One and a half tisps!” Luffy chirps as he measures out the baking soda and adds it to the flour.
Koby can’t stop the fond smile from forming on his lips. Makino was certainly lucky, getting to see Luffy like this all the time. He dusts his hands off and nods once decisively.
“Ok, now where’s the spinny cup?”
The what ? Koby’s completely lost. He stops and glances over to Luffy, equally curious and confused.
“I don’t think I know what that is,” Koby answers. “I usually just whisk the dry ingredients together with a fork."
“Huh? But that’s boring!” Luffy whines. “At least tell me we’ve got a swishy stick!”
“A… whisk, you mean?”
“No! It’s a swishy stick!” Luffy nudges past Koby to the utensil drawer and yanks it open. “Sanji’s a good cook, so I know he’s got the right tools in here somewhere!”
Koby backs up a bit and lets him dig through the drawer. He pulls out a myriad of odd utensils Koby’s never seen before, but apparently none of them qualify as a ‘swishy stick’. Whatever that is.
He shrugs, choosing not to dwell on it. He grabs the plate of bacon and covers it with a tea towel, setting it on the table for later. At least Zoro would get a protein snack this way. On his way back, he snags the eggs he set out.
“Luffy?” Koby asks, only to yelp and duck. He’d nearly taken a meat tenderizer to the forehead. “Captain! Stop flinging Sanji’s utensils around!”
Luffy acknowledges him by setting the not-swishy-sticks on the counter instead. Koby sighs and grabs the tenderizer off the floor and takes it over to the sink. They’ll just wash it with everything else.
“A-ha!” Luffy crows triumphantly.
Koby looks over to see Luffy holding the most bizarre utensil he’s seen to date. It certainly looks like a whisk of some kind, but the metal that would normally be a teardrop of nested curved wires are instead a flat circle with swooping curls in the center. Like someone had taken the metal wire and swished it around before attaching it to the handle.
Oh. Swishy stick. Now it makes sense.
He chuckles as Luffy darts back over to the dry ingredients and tucks the bowl under his arm. His tongue sticks out the corner of his mouth as he whisks everything together, completely focused on the task. He looks so cute with the little patches of flour on his clothes and cheeks.
Koby blushes and shakes his head. Not the time. He snags a fork that Luffy left on the counter and ignores the fact they’ll have to put all the utensils back. Trying to hide the fact that someone was in the kitchen is pointless now, so they’ll just have to make sure everything is spotless. Hopefully Sanji doesn’t kick them in the head too hard.
“Ok, dry stuff is mixed! What’s next!” Luffy asks as he sets the bowl down.
“Would you-” Koby stops before he says anything further. He was about to ask Luffy to chop up the chocolate into chunks, but the thought of his captain with a knife is somewhat terrifying. “-uh, break the chocolate bars into pieces?” he asks instead.
Luffy gives him a slightly confused look, but doesn’t call him out on it.
“Sure! Big or small?”
“Um, big?”
“Shishishi, is Koby sure?” Luffy teases as he starts snapping the bars into odd sized chunks. Koby blushes and looks away. He’ll never get used to Luffy teasing him out of nowhere.
“A-as long as they’re bite sized, it’ll be ok.”
The rhythmic snapping of chocolate fills the room as Koby cracks the eggs into a separate bowl and beats them. After that, he dumps in the warm grease and sugars, stirring them up. The way Luffy eyes Koby’s bowl suspiciously is fair enough. This part never looks appetizing.
“So, you mentioned Makino… who is she?” Koby asks, wanting to fill the silence. Luffy perks up and looks at Koby.
“I’ve never told you about Makino?” Koby shakes his head, and Luffy laughs. “Oh, man! I’ve got all kinds of stories about her! She’s kinda like a big sister to me.”
Luffy turns around and leans his back against the counter, snapping the chocolate into smaller and smaller pieces.
“She runs a bar back home! She’d look after me when Shanks wasn’t around.” Luffy leans over to Koby, a conspiratorial grin on his face. “I think she’s Shanks’s special someone, but don’t tell anyone!” Koby giggles and nods.
“But anyways! There was this one time…”
Luffy tells story after story of the ridiculous things he’d get up to. He’s certainly forgotten the task at hand, focused instead on wide gestures and moving around to accentuate his stories. Koby finds himself doing most of the work, prepping the oven and baking sheets. But that’s ok. He’s smiling and laughing at his captain’s antics too much to really care. Besides, it’s nice just listening to him talk so openly about his home.
“-it turned out ok, but I’m definitely not good at bread. It was fun though, spending time with Makino when Shanks wasn’t around!”
“She sounds very kind. I’d like to meet her one day, if we ever end up back in the East Blue,” Koby says as he stirs the chocolate chunks into the dough.
It looks about right. He’s never doubled a batch before, so it might be a little on the chewy side. But that’s ok. As long as the flavor is right, he’ll consider it a job well done.
“Of course we will!” Luffy laughs and tugs Koby into a side hug. “After we find the One Piece and I’m King of the Pirates, we’re gonna do a victory lap!”
Koby smiles and unconsciously leans into the hug. It’s such a nice thought, returning to the places they’d left such a huge impact on and seeing how their lives have changed as a result. He never got to see the impact of his work in the marines. He was always so busy rushing from one fight to the next. Quiet moments like these were far and few between.
Now that he gets them, he treasures them all the more.
“I'm sure you’ve got all sorts of friends to tell you stories to back home,” Koby adds.
To his surprise, Luffy’s smile falters just a bit. Did he say something wrong? Koby gives him a concerned look as the silence stretches on. But Luffy is back to grinning in no time.
“If Shanks is there, then for sure! But… there weren’t a lot of other kids back home. Well, any that wanted to hang out, at least,” Luffy trails off, his smile tinged with a bit of sadness.
Wait, what? Luffy is so happy and carefree all the time, always looking for the next game or adventure. What kid wouldn’t want to hang out with someone like that?! He’s such a kind, wonderful person. He might be a bit loud and brash, but he loves and cares for his friends so deeply. Before he can stop himself, Koby huffs.
“Their loss,” Koby grumbles, crossing his arms. “I’d have done anything for a friend like you when I was little.”
Luffy looks at Koby, just a bit surprised at the snippy remark. But it quickly softens into a fond smile that makes Koby’s heart melt.
“Thanks, Koby.” Luffy squeezes him in the hug a bit before letting him go. “I’d have really liked a friend like you back then, too.”
Koby is very proud of himself for keeping a straight face. Ok, maybe he’s blushing a little. But internally, he’s bouncing around and screaming with joy. So he can say he’s keeping a straight face in comparison.
“But I’ve told enough stories!” Luffy says. “What about Koby?”
“Huh?”
“Does Koby have any fun kitchen stories?”
Does he? He can think of a few times he messed around in the kitchen after hours because he was hungry and unsupervised. (In his defense, he was also on pain medication, and that always makes him a little weird.)
“Well… most of the times I cooked ended up weird. Like, one time I thought I could just mix some whipped cream and cake mix together and bake it.”
Luffy crosses his arms and looks up in thought. He cocks his head one way and then the other, contemplating the logistics.
“Did it work?” he finally asks, looking at Koby curiously.
Koby rubs the back of his neck self-consciously and makes a noncommittal noise. “Kind of? I got chewy cookies out of it. So, not a total failure, I guess,” He shrugs.
“What about these?” Luffy gestures to the bowl of dough. “Using bacon grease to make cookies is super smart because you get bacon AND cookies. But what made you try it?”
“Oh! It was after I’d sprained my ankle really bad,” Koby quickly realizes he’ll have to take a few creative liberties with the story. He can’t tell the entire truth without giving himself away. “I really wanted some cookies, but I didn’t have any butter or salt. And with my injury, I couldn’t walk too far. So I thought, bacon is salty and renders off a lot of fat. So I should be able to substitute them, right? So I tried it and it worked pretty well!”
It’s not a complete lie. He did sprain his ankle and it did keep him from going to get more butter and salt. But he left out the part where he sprained his ankle after shattering a battleship bag with a single kick that didn't land quite right. Garp had chewed him out horribly for it, and all he wanted at that point was some comfort food. The officer’s lounge had a little kitchen, but it was barely stocked half the time.
It was a miracle he found what he did. By the time he finished cooking, he had half the base trying to get in to try one. When Helmeppo and HIbari found out, they were both upset they didn’t get to try any. Helmeppo even went so far to accuse him of holding out to mess with them. Koby smiles softly at the memory.
“I’ve been working on it ever since. The last batch I made was almost perfect, so I know they’ll be good! I just hope everyone likes them. I promised my friends-”
Luffy gives Koby an expectant smile, waiting for him to continue. But he can’t. Not when the weight of his sentence settles on him like a lead blanket. He’d promised Helmeppo and Hibari a batch all for themselves at some point. But then their work with SWORD became more intensive. They were split across the Grand Line most of the time. They hadn’t even seen each other before the battle with Blackbeard.
“Koby?”
Oh seas. Blackbeard. Were they ok? Did they make it out of the battle? The room spins and his breath comes in short gasps. Last he’d heard from either of them was frantic orders to stay safe barked out over a den den mushi. The reception was so bad all he’d heard was crackly static in reply. They were doomed. That entire timeline was doomed. He’d abandoned them! He-!
“Koby!” Luffy shouts as he grabs Koby by the shoulders.
His attention snaps to Luffy, immediately looking into worried brown eyes. It doesn't take long for him to realize that he’d spiraled. The warmth trailing down his cheeks is enough to tell him he’d been reduced to panicked tears.
“Koby’s here,” Luffy says gently. “Wherever you went just now, you’re not there anymore. You’re here with us on the Merry. With me .”
He gives Luffy a tight smile in response, trying his best not to come to tears once again. Luffy pats his shoulders, smile not quite matching the solemn look in his eye. Koby sniffles and wipes his eyes with the back of his sleeve.
“S-sorry, Luffy,” Koby says, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “I just… I remembered that they’re… gone.”
In every sense of the word, it’s true. The Helmeppo and Hibari he’d come to know and care for so dearly are gone. He might run into them in his new life, but they won’t be his . It isn’t fair, to let the ghosts of a past life cling to people he’s never truly known.
His throat tightens and fresh tears prick at his eyes, but he stays calm. Offering a teary smile to Luffy, he steps out of his grasp and takes a deep breath to center himself. The whole time, Luffy watches him carefully. He knows Luffy won’t pry, but there’s an understanding in his expression that makes him want to ask if he’s really ok.
He’s not sure if he should even broach the subject, so he settles on turning his back to Luffy so he can start scooping cookies onto the baking sheets. Eventually, Luffy comes to lean against the counter next to him, watching as he drops each cookie onto the baking sheet.
“It’s hard, losing someone,” Luffy finally says. Koby glances at him from the corner of his eye. “I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that kind of loneliness. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t wanna. But I’m here if you do!”
There’s an underpinning of sadness in the smile he offers. And oh, if Koby doesn’t want to find a way to turn back the clock further, to find and stop the source of the melancholy in his captain’s eyes.
But he knows he can’t, so he settles for leaning into Luffy’s side. A reminder to them both that they’re here, in this moment, together. That they’d have each other’s backs and can depend on each other no matter what.
“Thanks captain. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk about it… but I’m glad you’ll be here when I am. And I’ll gladly do the same for you.”
Luffy's smile warms again. He nods once resolutely, acknowledging the promise made.
“Ok! No more sad stuff!” Luffy says, slapping Koby’s back. He yelps and fumbles the dough he’d just scooped, sending it splatting onto the countertop. Luffy scoops it up with his other hand and eats it without a second thought. “We’ve got cookies to bake!”
Endearing as that was, Koby really hopes his captain's stomach holds up against raw cookie dough.
*****
“Ok, that’s the last of them!” Koby says, proudly assessing their work.
Luffy cheers as Koby finishes piling cooled cookies into a basket lined with a tea towel. Four dozen cookies total are nestled within. They’d have five, but Luffy insisted on checking for doneness. It was a small sacrifice to make, but Koby convinced him to stop… eventually.
They look a bit out of place next to a plate of warm bacon, but it’s the Merry. Her galley has seen stranger things. Koby crosses his arms and smiles, satisfied with their work.
Without taking his eyes off the table, he steps on Luffy’s hand from where it was snaking along the floor.
“Aww, c’mon! Just one more?”
“We have to wait until everyone’s back, Luffy.”
Luffy pouts and looks to the side, but he nods all the same. Koby lifts his foot so he can draw his arm back up to the right length. He nudges Luffy with his shoulder, offering him a grin.
“I do need to thank you, though,” Koby says. Luffy cocks his head at him, waiting for him to continue. “It normally takes me a while to make these and clean up, but this is the fastest I’ve ever made them. And I couldn’t have done it without your help. So thank you!”
Luffy grins wide, a little blush coming to dust over his nose. He knows his captain is a terrifying force to be reckoned with and is only getting stronger by the day. But he’d be lying if he tried to say he didn’t look adorable in that moment.
“It was fun! And I got food!” Luffy replies, putting an arm on Koby’s shoulder and leaning against him. “And Sanji gets to relax when he gets back, ‘cause we made the snacks this time!”
“Oh, did you?”
“Yep!” Luffy replies proudly. “We even cleaned up the kitchen, Sanji!”
Koby and Luffy look at each other and nod, pleased with their work. Until they realize they aren’t alone anymore. They freeze in their spot, fear chilling them to their cores. They both gulp and peek over their shoulders at the same time. Sanji is standing behind them, arms crossed and grinding his cigarette between his teeth.
“S-sanji!” Koby stutters as he whirls around. Luffy stumbles a bit, but he’s quick to right himself. He looks between Sanji and Koby, assessing the situation worriedly. “I-I can explain!”
Sanji cocks an eyebrow at him.
“U-uh, ok, so I bought almost everything I needed to make cookies for everyone. I, uh, well Luffy helped me too -” Luffy nods, eyes darting between Koby and Sanji as he continues. “ -B-but I wanted to make a treat for everyone and I only needed to borrow a couple eggs and-”
Sanji rolls his eyes and grumbles.
“Move.”
Luffy and Koby leap away from each other so Sanji can get to the cookies. He narrows his eyes, scrutinizing the basket of confections. Luffy gulps while Koby wrings his hands, watching as Sanji plucks a cookie from the basket. He turns it in his hand, checking each side for doneness. Finally, he takes a decisive bite out of it.
Luffy and Koby both watch him chew with bated breath. It’s clear he’s cataloging everything about the cookie, from texture to taste and anything else his palette might pick up. Koby hasn’t felt this nervous since his first rigging exam.
Sanji swallows and hums, eyebrows lifting in surprise.
“Passable. Needs a teaspoon of vanilla extract and- ” He takes another bite of the cookie and looks up, thinking. “-two tablespoons of milk next time,” he finishes before swallowing.
Luffy and Koby collapse into each other with relief as he pops the remainder of the cookie into his mouth. Before Koby can even think to thank him for his recommendations, Luffy is yanking him out of the way of a kick to the head.
“OI! SANJI SAID THEY’RE GOOD!” Luffy yells, protectively holding Koby against his chest.
Koby’s too busy watching the insanity of his new life flash before his eyes to add anything.
“I said they’re passable , you cretin,” Sanji retorts, leg still raised. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t smash both your skulls in for trespassing.”
Koby’s thoughts race as he tries to come up with a good enough excuse to get them out of trouble. But nothing he can think of seems good enough. Well, he’d expected at least a little backlash, so the least he can do is take the blame so Luffy doesn’t get in any trouble. This was his idea, after all.
“Koby made Zoro a snack so you don’t have to let him in the kitchen when he gets back!” Luffy answers.
Huh, that’s actually a pretty good reason. Sanji tilts his head, considering Luffy’s logic. But he’s still clearly angry. Koby takes a deep breath, putting it all on the line with his next sentence.
“A-and Nami gave me the go ahead!” he adds. “She gave me the money! I asked her not to tell because it’s a surprise!”
“Oh.” Sanji’s attitude does 180 as soon as Nami’s mentioned. “Why didn’t you just say that, idiot!”
Sanji lowers his leg, and Luffy and Koby heave twin sighs of relief. This is a mistake, because the next thing they know, they’re being lifted up by the backs of their shirts and hauled over to the sink. Koby goes limp, not wanting to draw any more of Sanji’s ire than necessary. Luffy, brave and foolhardy as he is, flails his arms and protests loudly. Sanji dumps them in front of the sink, shoves a bottle of soap and sponge into Koby’s hands, and chucks a towel into Luffy’s face.
“But because I don’t want either of you getting any more bright ideas about using my kitchen without permission from me , you’re both on dish duty for a week. ” He growls. Luffy yanks the towel off his face and goes to open his mouth, but Sanji narrows his eyes at him. “Any complaints and you won’t get extra snacks for the week, either.”
Luffy’s mouth snaps shut with an audible click.
“That’s what I thought,” Sanji says. He turns and heads back to the galley’s door, but pauses and looks over his shoulder at them. “After you two are done, I want that recipe written down exactly as you did it today.”
He doesn’t elaborate further. Koby and Luffy are both stunned silent, watching as Sanji disappears out the door. Whether he’s going to get supplies stored or let everyone else know there’s snacks waiting for them, Koby doesn’t know. All he does know is that Sanji wants the recipe, and that’s the highest compliment he thinks he’ll get all day.
“See! I told you they’re great!” Luffy cheers as he drags Koby into a side hug.
Ok, maybe it ranks under his captain’s praise. But it’s still up there.