Bound by Blood and Sea || Sanji || Zoro

Cooking With Sanji

"Can I help?" I asked the chef, hoping he would respond with a 'yes'. I needed to get my mind off whatever had just happened with Zoro and this seemed like a good way to do it.

He looked at me with utter shock, as if he had seen a ghost. I could practically see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to process my question. "Pardon?" he finally managed, still visibly confused.

"Can I help you cook?" I repeated once more. "I promise I won't destroy the kitchen or burn something," I quickly added, sensing he truly cared about his equipment.

"You want to help me cook?" Sanji clarified slowly, making sure he had heard correctly.

"Yes, please? You could show me some of your techniques," I suggested, begging some higher being that this convinced him.

"First, you helped me clean up, and now you want to cook with me... If you keep this up, darling, I might actually think that you're interested in me," the blonde stated his thoughts.

My eyes slightly widened and I began to stutter. "Tha- that's not... not what I intended."

Sanji let out a chuckle. "Calm down, princess. I was just kidding." It didn't seem like he was though. Did he actually think- I mean sure he was really handsome, but we only just met yesterday.

For my own good, I decided to stop thinking about it and focus on my mission - to convince the blond to let me assist him with cooking. "Soooo?"

For a moment he was silent, thinking about my request. Then with a sigh, he gave in. "Fine, you can help if you really want to. But be careful, alright darling? I want neither you nor my kitchen to get hurt or destroyed."

"Yes, sir!" I responded enthusiastically. The man shut his eyes and inhaled deeply, presumably bracing himself for what was about to come. Then still with closed lids, he let go of the breath, before turning to me and saying, "Let's get started."

I quickly put on the apron Sanji gave me since I didn't want to dirty Nami's clothes. With both hands on my hips, I faced the chef and asked what we were cooking.

"Spare ribs, rice, croquettes, grilled vegetables and for dessert soufflé," Sanji listed, counting each item on his fingers.

My jaw dropped in shock. "That's a lot of food."

"Well, you know Luffy's appetite." He replied with a grin. "Plus we must celebrate the arrival of a new crewmember."

"Yeah, I suppose that is true."

Sanji wiped his hands on a towel and glanced around the bustling kitchen. "I just started cooking, and have only made the croquettes so far, so there is still a lot to do," the blonde explained, rolling up his sleeves and turning back to the stove.

"What should I do?"

"Hm, you can slice the vegetables for now." Typically, that's what someone says that doesn't trust you with more complicated tasks.

"Alright, but just so you know, I'm capable of a lot more than some cutting."

Sanji let out a laugh. "I'm sure you are, darling. Otherwise, you wouldn't have offered your help. But we need to cut the vegetables first, cause once that is done we can start with the real cooking."

Oh, so he didn't underestimate me? That's a nice change. "Alright, then," I said, grabbing a knife and turning to the array of vegetables on the counter.

Sanji nodded approvingly. "Great. Just keep an eye on the sizes and try to make them uniform. It'll help with even cooking." We settled into a rhythm, slicing carrots, zucchini, aubergines, paprika, and more.