Chapter Text
The sound of a sharp knife sliding through a slab of meat cuts through the many other sounds that fill the air of the ship’s kitchen. Sanji is deep in thought, sealing the slices of meat in bags and dropping them into a pot of water, checking temperatures, and mixing sauces. It’s the largest meal he has made in quite a while, the crew back together on the Sunny after splitting up recently. They had planned to spend quite a bit of time on Zou, the great elephant island, but they had learned important information quite rapidly. They returned to the ship and sailed off just a day ago, after Luffy had sworn that Wano was more important to him than even he had known.
He brushes off his thoughts and pours himself some tea, holding the warm cup as he checks his recipe. He can hear excited voices outside, but chooses to ignore them in favour of watching over the dinner preparation.
“Sanji! Sanji! Come look!” Luffy is calling from the deck, shoving past people as he runs towards the galley.
Sanji wipes his hands on a tea towel and calls back. “I’m busy! What have I said about barging into my kitchen?!”
Outside, Zoro has caught Luffy by the back of his vest, holding the captain still. “Oi! Cook, I think you should see this.”
Sanji sighs and places a lid on the pot he was stirring, turning down some dials and grabbing his cup of tea. He leaves the kitchen, tossing his tea towel over his shoulder before stopping to stand with the rest of the crew. Newspaper pages are spread across some crates, the crew looking over them with an air of worry.
“So what’s the issue? Our bounties can't have gone up since Bartolomeo showed us our recent ones. That was barely a week ago.” Sanji says, as if it wasn’t obvious.
“Not exactly.” Robin says, pulling his attention to her. “It’s about the small difference that was in your poster.”
Sanji steps forwards and pulls together the strewn sheets of newspaper, one for each member of the crew. He looks at them, flicking from one to another and then back, staring at them like they’d make more sense the harder he squints. “This can’t be happening.”
“Now we’re all wanted only alive!” Luffy shouts, flinging himself from Zoro’s hold, landing in a crouch on the crates. “Isn’t that cool?”
“It’s not cool! What if they want to execute us all?! Publicly!” Usopp shouts in panic, shaking Luffy by his shoulders.
The crew bickers, trying to decide whether or not it's a good thing that they are no longer wanted dead. Zoro and Robin however, are watching Sanji, seeing as he stares down at his own poster. Zoro points at the name printed in block letters. “Is that Zeff’s surname?”
“Huh?” Sanji says, looking up.
“Vinsmoke, is that his name?”
There is a moment of quiet, even over the others speaking. Zoro is staring the cook down, and Brook has turned to watch them, his empty eyes caught on the poster. He feels a shiver run down his spine as he sees Sanji’s expression.
“No, Zeff isn’t even my birth father.” The cook snaps as he pushes himself away from the crates and shoves his poster in his jacket. He moves away from the group and heads back into the kitchen. “Figure this shit out without me, I have food on the stove.”
Sanji flicks the wheel of his lighter, then again, and again, as he fails to light his cigarette. He gives up and snaps the lighter shut, sticking the cigarette into the flame of the stovetop. He lifts it to his lips and takes a long drag, turning to blow the smoke away from the food. The kitchen door opens and he spins around with a tense scowl, before he sees who it is and plasters a smile on his face. “Robin, what can I get for you, my sweet?”
“What do you think of our early departure from Zou?” She asks, relaxing into one of the chairs at the dining table.
“Doesn't matter to me, Luffy must have his reasons, and I’m sure they’re important. You shouldn't worry yourself about such things, Robin, have some tea, the pot is full.”
“You seemed rather… unwilling, when Luffy said we had to leave.”
“It was an interesting place, I wanted to learn what I could about their cuisine, is that an issue?”
Robin sips her tea and shrugs. “Would the reason for our departure change your attitude?”
“I don't have an attitude.” Sanji argues, seething quietly as he drains the water from one of the large pots.
“Well then, Kaido has a son, and he happens to have been quite close with Ace.”
Sanji sets down his pot, his smile turning down. “So we’re going to apologise that he’s dead? Break the news to the guy? Tell him that the crew failed our captain, and we weren’t there for him when he needed us?”
“I’ve never seen you so upset, Sanji. Is this about the posters, the name?”
Sanji takes a deep breath and plasters on his gentlemanly smile. “Please, it’s not something you lovely ladies should be worried about. I assure you, it’s nothing.”
“Why didn't you just tell the crew you are royalty?”
The overly sweet grin vanishes from his face. “I don't hit ladies, Robin, but you’re going to become quite unwelcome with those kinds of questions.”
“None of them even know who the Vinsmokes are, there is no risk in telling them. You know how accepting the crew is, you accepted me after all.”
Sanji grits his teeth, grinding down into his cig. “You don’t know who they are either. You might know what your history books say, but you haven’t scraped the surface of what they've done.”
“Really Sanji? You truly believe that your family’s decisions will affect the way that the crew sees you?”
“My father’s decisions, not my family's, they don't get a choice when it comes to something he wants.” He says quickly, a part of him wanting to excuse his siblings' childhood behavior. “Please Robin, the sun is still out, go enjoy it. I’ll call everyone in when it’s time for dinner.”
She sets down her tea cup and looks him in the eyes, meaning to continue her speech about forgiveness, but there is a look in Sanji’s eye that reminds her of herself. “Alright, but remember that you aren't alone.”
After Robin leaves, Sanji finds himself mindlessly fiddling with the folded poster inside his jacket. He runs his finger along the edges of the paper, thinking about what it could all mean for the crew, and who might be behind the new changes to their arrest warrants. He has just put down the cutlery when the door opens and Nami walks in. Sanji’s head jerks up and his finger slips against the paper, sending a shot of pain through his hand. He feels blood well to the surface of a nasty paper cut, and he leaves his hand in his pocket, not wanting to dirty the clean table.
“Nami-swaaaaan!” He calls cheerily. “Take a seat, I was just about to call everyone inside.”
She sits down at a seat near the head of the table, smiling when Sanji hands her a tall glass. “Thank you Sanji-kun. Today was a long day, and I’ve been needing a good drink.”
“Well you’re in luck, you have a gin and tonic with a mandarin syrup and juice. I thought you would appreciate the floral notes of the gin. I’ve had it for a while and have been hiding it from our resident alcoholics.” He sets a similar glass down beside her, this one with a deep purple hue swirling through it. “And a drink for Miss Robin, this one with blackberry syrup for the tart rich flavour she enjoys.”
“I’m surprised that you’re in such a good mood. She warned me that you might be a bit snippy.”
Sanji hums as he steps back into the kitchen, filling a tray with drinks for the other members of the crew. “Robin and I had a disagreement and I explained that while I appreciate her worry for me, I would rather be left to myself than rely on the crew for help. It’s not a big deal, really.”
Nami leans forwards with her elbows pressed against the table. She sips from the straw in her drink and hums. “Always so independent, aren't you?” She stands up from the table and stretches. “Since you don’t want help with whatever your issue is, I’ll get everyone for dinner, and I won’t even charge you for it.”
Sanji swoons, sighing lovingly as Nami leaves the room. “Selfless as always, Miss Nami, you do too much for me.”