Steel Heart

Ch 25 - Craft

The Straw Hats were having an amazing time and the city of Water 7 were enjoying it just as much. After constant begging and pleas from the children, Nana dragged out her cannons and provided a spectacular display of fireworks for the city. It lit the skies in vibrant colors, creating the perfect backdrop for Sogeking to sing over nine thousand songs that all sounded pretty much the same but everyone was too happy to care.

Franky was leading Chopper and the group in a dance off while Luffy was riding Pygmy all around the pool with a giant skewer of assorted meats in his hands. Zoro was drinking and cheering with a mix of shipwrights and the Franky Family members while Nami and Robin were laying out by the pool.

Nana was enjoying the celebration just as much as the rest of them. She watched as Iceberg lounged next to Granny Kokoro with a drink in their hands and then bursted into laughter when the bikini clad Mozu and Kiwi hugged Paulie tightly just to watch him squirm.

A small crowd of children had gathered around Sanji's chef station and Nana walked over curiously. She watched as he dangled a small cherry in front of their eyes and then he wiggled his eyebrows with a playful smile. He placed his cherry on his cutting board and then raised his knife. His hands blurred around him like a dance of knives, pans, and flames. Nana was enraptured by his performance and so were the kids around him.

I didn't realize what a skilled craftsman he is. Nana thought as he revealed, with a flourish, a five tiered cake made of delicately sliced meats and vegetables. She put her fingers to her lips and let out a loud whistle. "Encore! Encore!"

He looked up from the cake and his eyes lit up when he saw the angel. "Nana-chwan! Come have the first taste."

Nana walked over, pushing some of the kids aside and she leaned over the prep station so she could see all the tools he's working with. "Wow, you did all this with just these things?" She then nodded over to the grill, where he was cooking another round of water-water meat, "How is the grill working for you?"

Sanji blinked back at her. "It works great, Nana-chan. Why do you ask?"

Nana smiled. "It's my responsibility to make sure my products match up to the user's skills."

"Nana-chan, you made this grill?! It's so well made that it could stand up to any of the grills on the Baratie."

Nana folded her arms and tilted her head to the side. "Baratie?"

"Yes, it's the restaurant ship I used to work on before I became a pirate."

Nana's eyes widened. "A whole ship that's a restaurant?! I bet the equipment was state of the art. How many stoves did you guys have? How many customers did you serve in a day?"

Sanji couldn't quite believe it. For the first time since he left the old geezer to become a pirate, not one person had shown that any interest in learning about the ins and outs of running a kitchen. Yes, everyone loved his cooking but no one ever wondered about his process and the effort needed for a single dish.

He spent over an hour chatting to the angel about life as a cook until finally he caught himself lecturing about the importance of kitchen maintenance. "Ah, Nana-chan," he said as he lit a new cigarette, "I'm sorry. I'm sure you don't want to listen to me talk about grease stains."

Nana shook her head. "Not at all! Getting oil off of stainless steel is always a pain in the ass." She then looked curiously at him. "Well, it seemed you were really happy on the Baratie. What made you decide to become a pirate?"

"I want to go to the New World," Sanji replied and then he took a deep breath, "I want to go find the All Blue."

He studied the angel's face closely for any signs of condescension but she just stared curiously back at him. "What's the All Blue?"