Five-Alarm Carmen:

-x-

"So, what's with the goggles?" Y/N asked as he, Usopp, and Nami headed back into Loguetown following Usopp's duel with Daddy 'the Father' Masterson. Usopp and Y/N were both wearing the spoils from the bet Y/N had placed on the shooting challenge. Y/N was wearing Daddy the Father's black cowboy hat with the red fabric around the base while Usopp was wearing the goggles that had started the whole mess on top of his green bandana. Nami was still stuck carrying her numerous shopping bags.

"I saw them in a shop, they seemed like a good deal," Usopp explained as he tugged the shaded lenses of the goggles down in front of his eyes. "The price sounded fair enough and the lady said these were the only ones she had and that she wouldn't be getting any new ones for a month. But then that girl came in and took them before I could pay." Usopp clicked the hinge and the shaded lenses flipped upwards leaving just him with the clear lenses from underneath. "I can shoot anything now, even when I'm looking into the sun."

"Since you're our crew's sniper, I guess that's a good thing," Nami commented.

"Although, I wish I hadn't had to reveal myself to a marine officer," Y/N admitted, "So far I've been pretty discrete."

"Well, wearing the signature hat of a bounty hunter that's renowned throughout the East Blue isn't exactly discrete," Nami pointed out.

"No," Y/N agreed, "But if I have his hat they'll know not to mess with me. I'd rather not be attacked by every loser on the street who wants to try for my bounty."

"So... what are we gonna do now?" Usopp wondered.

"I don't know," Y/N admitted. "I just plan on wondering around town until we meet up with the others. I met up with Luffy and Zoro before but I haven't seen Sanji."

"I've got all my stuff in my backpack," said Usopp as he motioned to the green backpack he was wearing, "I saved a ton of money thanks to all that stuff you taught me."

"Glad I could help," Y/N replied.

"Speaking of helping," Nami commented as she held up her numerous shopping bags and the big sack of clothes, "would one of you guys mind carrying these?"

"I offered before and you declined," Y/N reminded her. "If you weren't so paranoid you wouldn't have to worry about it."

"You offered seconds after you declared war!" Nami exclaimed

"Are you trying to say that I purposely offered to carry your stuff seconds after I declared war knowing that you'd be suspicious and decline?"

"Yes! You jerk!" Nami snapped.

"So you admit that I tricked you into lugging those bags around all day?" Y/N inquired. Nami's eyes went wide. "Or maybe you knew what I was doing the whole time..."

"Of course I did," Nami quickly agreed to save face.

"Then in that case, you'll be fine carrying your own crap," Y/N concluded.

Nami scowled as he flashed that damned sly grin of his. She had to carry her bags or admit that he'd tricked her. As a result, her pride was the only thing keeping her carrying her own bags. "Burst into flame..." Nami growled as she glared at him.

"If she was glaring at me the same way she's glaring at you, I'd be running for the hills," Usopp stated.

"And that's why you can't mess with Nami unless you're willing to deal with the consequences," Y/N told him. "You'd never want to end up in something where you're out of your league... right Nami?"

"Of course not," Nami agreed with a small smile. "It's important to know what you're getting into. I never get involved in something unless I know I'll come out on top."

Usopp flinched and was happy he wasn't involved in this 'swindling war' of theirs and prayed to every God he knew that the two of them never decided to work together.

-x-

"Sanji, I've finally found you!" a woman called out as the Straw Hat Cook walked calmly down a street. Whoosh! Wooosh! The woman waved a pair of fur-tipped fans while she did a quick dance. She had fiery pink hair that was done up to resemble flames, she wore a golden headband and had violet eye-shadow, purple lipstick, green earrings, a necklace with a diamond-shaped emerald, and was holding a ladle in her mouth. She wore a red gown that was lined with white fur and was tied around the waist with a green and pink rose-shaped sash, it was low cut and showed a great deal of her ample cleavage. The outfit was finished off with a pair of pink high heels that were laced up passed her ankles. "I've been searching for you, for ten years!"

Sanji, and everyone else on the street stared in surprise as the eccentric, but very beautiful woman struck a pose with one arm on her waist and the other above her head.

"Behold the amazing Carmen!" a voice called out from behind the woman.

"The greatest cook in the East Blue!" another cried out.

"I am passion!" the woman announced, "some have called me Five-Alarm Carmen!"

"OLE!" The two men stepped out from behind Carmen and waved red rags while Carmen did another quick dance.

"I am the first apprentice of Carmen, my name is Leo!" the first man introduced himself. He had a small body, but a big bean-shaped head covered with short blond hair. He wore a blue suit that was lined in gold and a purple tie and he also wore a blue hat on his head. He was waving a red rag in one hand and was gripping the handle of a long paddle that was on his back.

"And I am her second, Jose!" the other man added. He was larger and rounder than Leo and wore a similar outfit, but in green and with a light blue tie. He also wore a green hat over his head that covered his short, dark brown hair. He had big lips like Usopp and wore sunglass... no... they weren't sunglasses, when a pair of beady little eyes opened up above it them they were revealed to be just really, really big nostrils. Both of the apprentices were considerably shorter than Carmen.

The people in the street stared at surprise at Carmen and her two apprentices, but they were even more surprised when Sanji dropped down on one knee and began to swoon.

"You are beauty itself!" Sanji exclaimed, nearly causing the spectators to face-fault. "It is my deepest dream-come-true, yes! Beauty has come searching for me!" Sanji stood up and walked over to Carmen then took her hand in both of his and dropped down on one knee again. "It is truly an honor! My beautiful Miss. Carmen!" Sanji leaned in to kiss the woman's hand, causing the two apprentices to flinch.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Carmen yelled as she produced a frying pan from who-knows-where and bashed Sanji in the face with it, WONK!

But rather than be discouraged, Sanji's eyes were still both in the shape of hearts. "You are so passionate!" Sanji swooned. "But tell me Carmen, how is it that you and I know each other?"

"OOOH BOOOYS!" Carmen called out as she danced backwards and struck a pose, "Tell the story!"

"Yes ma'am!" they both quickly agreed.

Leo used his long paddle to hold out a book to Sanji, "Please look," he instructed. Sanji looked confused as he opened the book to reveal several pictures of different men wearing chef hats.

"These are pictures of cooks," Sanji realized.

"True!" Jose crowed, "these are pictures of the most famous cooks in the East Blue!"

"And the great Carmen defeated every one of them in competition!" Leo continued as he and Jose both struck poses.

"Yes," said the extremely vain Carmen as she fanned herself, "I truly am the most amazing cook in the East Blue! The cooks who have challenged me have all been... disappointing simpletons, and I was beginning to think that there was no one left to challenge my skills. But then... I came across an article on the Baratie Ocean Going Restaurant from when you still worked there. A cook from the Baratie said that his prior Assistant Head Chef was the best cook in the East Blue. He said that in all his years in the restaurant business he ha never met your equal. From that moment until now I have spent every minute of the last ten years searching the entire East Blue... for you."

"Actually, it has been ten days," Jose confessed.

"Carmen has a little bit of trouble with the truth," Leo admitted. Great, so she was a stalker and a liar.

WONK! WONK! "SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!" Carmen shouted as she hit both of her apprentices with her frying pan. Scratch that, she was a stalker, a liar, and a violent psycho.

"Now I challenge you Sanji!" Carmen announced, "If you dare, bring your spices to the market-place cooking competition at one this afternoon! You will be minced! Like garlic before being added to heated oil in a hot pan! WAAHAHAHAHA!" Carmen let out a loud cackling laugh and lifted up one of her long legs as she spun rapidly around on the other. She became a spinning red tornado and flew up into the air, causing Sanji and all the spectators to stare in surprise. Shwoo-shwoo-shwoo-shwoo! POOF!

Carmen suddenly vanished... only to reappear extremely dizzy on the ground. Leo and Jose quickly caught her before she could fall then ran off.

"We'll see you at the competition!" Leo yelled out as a parting shot.

"Ah," Sanji sighed, despite all the odd behavior he was still enraptured, "finally a woman with a passion like mine!"

"So kid, you gonna compete in the market-place competition?" asked a short old man that had been watching the exchange.

"Huh? Nah!" Sanji replied as he turned and walked off, "I don't like contests."

-x-

"Captain Smoker, I have news!" Lieutenant Devo reported once he arrived back at the Marine Base. Marine Captain Smoker was still sitting at his desk, convinced that he didn't have to chase Luffy and that the pirate would just come to him. "I ran into some of the other Straw Hats!"

Smoker didn't appear overly interested but asked anyway, "And what happened?"

"They got away," Devo confessed. "I came across one of them dueling with Daddy Masterson, then a girl and 'One Eye' Y/N, Monkey D. Luffy's First Mate, showed up. One Eye convinced Daddy to make a bet concerning his other crewmate. The crewmate made an impossible shot with a slingshot and I was forced to let them go or tarnish the reputation of the Loguetown Marines."

"Don't worry about it," said Smoker, "they won't leave town without their Captain. We'll catch him and then we'll get the rest."

"But that's just the thing!" Devo replied, "One Eye... he's dangerous. He may have the smaller bounty but he seems more dangerous than Straw Hat."

"Oh?" questioned Smoker.

"He's smart," Lt. Devo explained. "You heard about what happened earlier, he and Roronoa Zoro were in this very Marine Base but managed to get away. He managed to convince Daddy the Father to accept a bet he saw as a sure thing. He's can't be taken lightly, the fact that he's wearing Daddy the Father's signature hat proves it."

"Hmm..." Smoker commented, "sounds like he could be a problem but I don't think we'll have to worry. We've never let a pirate escape this town before and we won't start with these two. We'll deal with One Eye and the others once we've got Straw Hat in a cell. Remember, we don't have to find him, he'll find us."

"Yes sir," Devo reluctantly agreed as he left the office. He wished he had Captain Smoker's confidence. Who knows what Straw Hat and One Eye could be up to now?

-x-

At a restaurant in the middle of Loguetown, no one seemed to notice the massive purple-maned lion that was sitting outside. Inside the restaurant a clearly aggravated cloak-wearing Buggy the Clown was sitting at a table eating with Mohji, who was also still wearing a cloak.

"Darn that rubber boy," Buggy grumbled with his mouth full of food. "I can't believe we can't find him anywhere on this entire island!"

"Hey Captain, I've been meaning to ask," said Mohji, while Buggy to a drink of rum. "Why are we wearing cloaks?"

Tonk! Buggy slammed his rum bottle down, "We are we wearing cloaks?" he repeated, "Why are you so stupid! There is a Marine Captain in this town named Smoker. If he finds us before we find Straw Hat then I'll never get my revenge! Grrr... this sucks!" WHAM! Buggy drove his fist down into the table causing the sack of gold he had on top of it to jump.

"Go and find that Straw Hat before I totally lose it!" Buggy ordered.

"Pheeeww!" Luffy sighed, as he leaned back in his chair, his belly was swelled up after having eaten a lot. "I'm stuffed! Loguetown might be our last chance to get a good meal for a while. I was starving!" Luffy was sitting at a table in the same restaurant across from Zoro who poured half a bottle of rum into a glass.

"I was starving too," Zoro commented.

"Well, it was a good thing I ran into you and Y/N," said Luffy, "I didn't have any money."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for Y/N's loan I'd probably still be broke," Zoro admitted.

WHAM! WHAM! "RAAH!" Buggy yelled from the next table over as he continued to slam his fist down on the table, "I hate that damn Straw Hat and I want to crush him like a bug the next time I see his ugly face! DIE! DIE! DIE!" WHAM! WHAM!B The sack of gold continued to bounce on the table as Buggy repeatedly drove his fist down into the top of it.

Zoro rummaged through his pockets, "Where'd I put that money Y/N gave me?"

"DIE!" WHAM! "DIE!" WHAM! The sack of gold bounced onto the pronged end of Buggy's fork causing the other end to stick up in the air.

"If you can't find it, maybe we should just leave and not pay," Luffy suggested. That's what he always did.

"I SWEAR HE'LL PAY!"Buggy screamed. WHAM! WHING!Buggy slammed his hand onto the handle of the fork and launched the sack of gold up into the air over his head, it flew through the air before it came down and landed... on Luffy's hat. Whap!

"Huh?" questioned Luffy as he pulled the sack off of his head and pulled out a gold coin, "Oh! Whoa, that's cool!" Luffy turned around and smiled at the cloaked figure sitting behind him, "Hey, you didn't have to buy us our lunch but thanks!"

Luffy paid for the meal with the money in the sack then stood up and returned it to Buggy, who was glaring at his empty plate. "You're the best!" Luffy thanked the generous guy who had paid for his meal but was also looking to kill him.

"Yeah, thanks a lot buddy," Zoro added as he thanked Buggy too.

"Yeah, whatever, you're welcome," said Buggy without looking up, Luffy and Zoro walked away.

"Come again!" the owner of the restaurant called out.

"We will!" Luffy replied as he and Zoro walked out.

"Wait... I know that voice!" Buggy realized.

"Oh yeah," Mohji agreed, he was still eating, "I think that was the Straw Hat guy."

"Take one more bite and die," Buggy growled at his first mate, causing him to instantly stop eating. "DON'T JUST SIT THERE! GO AFTER HIM YOU FLASHY IDIOT!"

"Yes sir!" Mohji quickly agreed as he ran out of the restaurant and searched the street, Richie the lion was attempting to hide behind a tree after hearing Captain Buggy's angry shouts. "Which way did he go?" Mohji ran off in the wrong direction, Luffy had once again escaped from Buggy and his crew.

-x-

The All Blue:

-x-

Sanji had reached the harbor and stood overlooking the market-place. "A market," Sanji observed, he went in to investigate and found all kinds of different colored fish in crates and hanging from hooks.

"Loguetown's market is incredible!" Sanji exclaimed as he surveyed the wide variety of fish that were present. "They have everything a cook could possibly want!"

Sanji walked up to a crate and stared down at the fish inside, "These are superb!" Sanji commented.

"You sure know how to pick 'em," said a large muscular man wearing a yellow t-shirt, gray pants, and a black apron around his waist. His gray hair was tied back in a fin-shaped ponytail. His name was Sapi, he was a fisherman and a fish salesman. "You're looking at some Coastal Fish we just caught early this morning!"

"Coastal Fish?" Sanji repeated as he reached into the crate and pulled out one of the fish inside. It was about as big as his forearm and twice as thick. It was teal with purple speckles and smelled incredibly fresh. "They certainly are firm and fresh, are you sure they were caught in the East Blue? I've never seen them before, what kind of fish did you say they were?"

"Ah, you definitely know your way around seafood," Sapi stated as he stood up and walked over to Sanji. "These fish are different, they're from the West Blue, people from the East Blue don't usually know this type."

"The West Blue?" Sanji inquired, "Then why do you call them Coastal Fish?"

"Is this your first time here, kid?" asked Sapi with a big smile, "Just look at this..." Sapi reached into the crate and pulled out one of the Coastal Fish, "You won't find fish like these in the East Blue, but we've got tons of 'em! You can pull them right out of the water all day long."

"So how does that happen?" Sanji wondered. How would fish native to the West Blue get to the East Blue?

"The crossing ocean currents bring them in from all the other seas out there," Sapi explained. "Loguetown is just in the right place."

Suddenly a commotion rang out from over by the dock, "Hey! Sounds like they caught something good! Let's go check it out!"

Sapi and Sanji pushed their way through the crowd to see what was going on, "So what is it?" asked Sapi as he glanced at the catch, and then shouted in surprise "YAAAAAHHH! HOLY HELL!"

Sanji managed to make it through the crowd and spotted the fish laid down on a bed of green leaves. It was a HUGE fish, the top half and fins were dark blue while the bottom half was a silvery-gray. It looked like a big tuna fish. If you disregarded the elephant ears, trunk, and tusks.

"Nice catch!" Sapi exclaimed, "It's a Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna!"

"That's right," replied the large dark blond-haired fisherman who had caught it, he was wearing a pair of blue overalls and a white t-shirt under them. "It must've gotten mixed in from the South Blue. I got it with my pole and line!"

"Just the pole and line?" Sapi repeated in disbelief, the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna was about as big as the fisherman, who was actually quite large. Using just a fishing pole to catch something so big was quite the feat.

"Blue-Finned Tuna..." Sanji said to himself, that brought back memories from when he was a kid working as a Chef in Training on the Cruise Obit.

-Sanji's Blue-Finned Tuna Flashback-

"Wahahaha!" ten-year-old Sanji laughed as he looked over a book opened to a picture of a Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna. "Hey look at this fish, it's a weird one!"

"What're you doing with that cookbook Sanji, you studying different kinds of fish?" asked one of the two cooks on the Obit.

"That one's the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna," the other cook told him.

"You ever seen this fish?" questioned Sanji.

"Sometimes it's called 'the Gem of the Ocean'," Cook 2 recalled as he and Cook 1 washed dishes, "some people even say that it's a miracle food! But nah, I've never seen it."

"Of course not," Cook 1 replied, "that one's from the South Blue. You'd never see it in the East Blue... unless... you can find the All Blue."

"Hahahaha!" Cook 2 laughed, "The All Blue, now that would be impossible."

"Ha-hah, I know, I know," Cook 1 chuckled.

"Tell me about the All Blue!" Sanji requested, he was getting excited, if crazy fish like the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna lived in it, it must've been amazing.

"It's a legendary sea where all the fish in the world swim together," Cook 2 explained.

"Careful, or he'll every word you say," Cook 1 scolded.

"Where is the All Blue?" asked Sanji.

"Ah, I told you," Cook 1 sighed, "Now he thinks it's real."

"It's a joke Sanji," Cook 2 attempted to reassure him, "It's just a Cook's Legend. It doesn't really exist."

"Forget about it, just keep studying," Cook 1 suggested. But Sanji didn't forget about it. Finding the All Blue became his dream. Something so amazing couldn't possibly be fake!

-End Fish Flashback-

"The All Blue..." Sanji came out of his shock of seeing the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna, the fisherman was getting ready to move it. Sanji wouldn't allow that to happen, he had to have that fish.

"HOLD ON A SECOND!" Sanji exclaimed, "How much for it? Sell the fish to me! I've got money! Please, let me buy that Tuna!"

"I'm sorry," the fisherman apologized, "but I can't sell this to you. This fish is gonna be the Grand Prize for the Cooking Contest."

"It's... a prize?" Sanji repeated.

"That's right," said Sapi, "The Annual Loguetown Cooking Competition happens today. Cooks from all over the East Blue will be here to compete, and this fish is gonna be the Grand Prize for the winner."

"It is a Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna, after all," the fisherman reminded Sanji. "Any champion cook would be honored to have it as a prize."

"If you really want it, then you should enter the contest," Sapi suggested. "You are a cook, aren't ya? Registration is right over there. You should give it a try if you want the Tuna. If I were you, I'd hurry before it closes. See ya!"

"A cooking contest?" Sanji said to himself, well, he was a cook, "Yeah!" Sanji walked off to register but couldn't shake the feeling that he'd forgotten something.

"I challenge you, Sanji!"

"Oh well," said Sanji as he walked off to register, he'd remember eventually.

Seeing the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna had jogged Sanji's memory, and while he registered and sat around waiting for the contest to start, he couldn't help thinking about the past.

When Sanji was ten and was still working on the Obit had was disgusted at how Cook 1 and Cook 2 would eat scraps off of the customer's plates. Sanji just threw that stuff away, who wanted to eat the leftovers of someone else's dinner?

But one fateful day the Cruise Obit was attacked by Red Shoes Zeff and the Cooking Pirates, he'd just come back alive from a one-year voyage in the Grand Line. Sanji attempted to defend the Obit but got the crap kicked out of him with Red Shoes Zeff's renowned kicks... kicks that were known for shattering stone and denting steel. But Sanji refused to give up, he refused to die.

He shouted at Zeff, "I won't die you bastard! I haven't seen the All Blue yet!" The pirate captain seemed shocked by Sanji's goal.

Then the tidal wave came. The huge wave towered over both the Cruise Obit and Zeff's ship the Cooking George. Sanji was washed off the ship and fell in the water but he was shocked to see Zeff dive in after him. The wave hit the two ships and capsized both of them, since Zeff and Sanji were already in the water, they didn't drawn like the rest of the people on the two ships. Sanji saw Zeff swimming towards him before he passed out.

Sanji woke up and he was with Zeff on a small deserted island. It wasn't even an island, it was just a big rock. The erosion made it so the sides of the rock curved inwards and the top edges just hung over the water. If they got off the island, there'd be no way back up. Zeff gave Sanji a small bag of food while keeping the large bag for himself 'since he was bigger'. Zeff told Sanji to wait on the other side of the rock and tell him if he saw a ship. Sanji vowed to himself that he'd survive and when a ship came he wouldn't tell the old geezer. It was that bastard's fault they were in this situation anyway!

Sanji divided his food up to last twenty days, he'd survive this no problem. But the days turned into weeks and there was no sign of a ship. Sanji ran out of food and survived on nothing for a week. He regretted throwing away those scraps back on the Obit, in his current state, he would've gladly eaten them now. He was practically a flesh-covered skeleton. Sanji climbed to the top of the pile of rocks separating him from the geezer and was shocked to see that the old bastard still had a HUGE sack of food with him. Overcome by hunger, Sanji decided to take a chance and kill the old man for his food.

But Zeff heard Sanji coming, keeping the starving boy from getting the drop on him. Sanji told the old man that he was gonna take his off and slashed the big bag opened... but there was no food in it... IT WAS FILLED WITH TREASURE! Money, gold, and jewels meant nothing when you were starving. Sanji was shocked, he stormed around the old geezer and demanded to know where his food was... then he saw... one of Zeff's legendary legs was gone... Zeff gave Sanji ALL the food and survived by EATING HIS OWN FOOT! (A/N: That is the most bad-ass thing I've ever heard anywhere!) Sanji demanded to know why the stupid geezer had done that! He'd saved Sanji's life, he'd given him all the food, he'd eaten his claim to fame so Sanji could stay alive.

"Because... you and I share the same dream," Zeff had answered before flopping on his back. Like Sanji, Zeff dreamed of finding the All Blue. He had gone to the Grand Line and spent a year searching for it, but had been unsuccessful. Now his foot was gone and his pirate days were over.

After starving on the island all this time, Zeff's new goal was to open a restaurant in the middle of the ocean. Anyone would be served. If someone hungry came along, Zeff would feed them. After learning that Zeff had given up so much for him, Sanji offered to help. It was then that Sanji FINALLY spotted a ship. Both he and Zeff were saved.

Zeff opened the Baratie in the middle of the East Blue, Sanji was made the Assistant Head Chef and Zeff personally taught him how to cook and kick. Zeff hired rough cooks and fed tough customers. Sanji knew what starving to death was like, he vowed to always serve people when they were hungry and never to waste food. Sanji had planned to stay on the Baratie helping the geezer since the old bastard had saved his life... but then Luffy had showed up and beat 'Pirate Admiral' Don Kreig to save the Baratie.

"He didn't sacrifice himself so you could give up your dream! He did it so you could live!" Luffy knew what he was talking about, he was still wearing his straw hat. Shanks had saved his life and lost his arm so he could go on living, not so that Luffy would always be in his debt. Sanji agreed to join Luffy's Straw Hat Pirate Crew as the ship's cook. He wanted to find the All Blue and when you compared that to people who dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates, finding the One Piece, and becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman, Sanji felt like he fit in fine.

Now, Sanji was sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette while he waited for the contest to start. That Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna from the South Blue that ended up here in the East Blue was proof that something like the All Blue HAD to exist. That fish was a testament that his dream could come true.

-x-

Iron Sea Chef:

-x-

Fireworks went off overhead drawing everyone towards the Loguetown Cooking Contest. "THE ANNUAL COOKING FESTIVITIES ARE ABOUT TO START!" Sapi called out to the gathered crowd. The friendly fisherman was acting as the announcer for the event and stood behind a small table with a microphone so he could call the action. An orange banner was hung over his head that labeled his position as announcer.

They were still by the harbor where a large platform had been erected to act as the stage for the cooking contest. A long red carpet divided the yellow stage in half into two identical kitchens to cook in. There were long L-shaped counters, ovens, countless appliances, and at the back of the stage was an area that housed all the fresh ingredients that the cooks could use. In between the ingredient areas was a further elevated stage with the grand prize, the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna, resting on it.

"THE GREATEST COOKS FROM THE EAST BLUE ARE COMPETING HERE TODAY!"

"It's so crowded, I wonder what's going on," Nami wondered as she, Usopp, and Y/N pushed their way through the crowd.

"Judging from that big banner, I'd say it's a cooking contest," Y/N observed.

"THIS YEAR'S GRAND PRIZE IS A BLUE-FINNED ELEPHANT TUNA! IT'S THE GEM OF THE OCEAN, A MIRACLE FOOD! WHO IS GOING TO WIN THIS TRULY SPECTACULAR PRIZE?"

Sanji sat with his feet on a table smoking a cigarette under the competitor's tarp when a familiar laugh rang out, "Ahh-hahahaha! That'll be me!" Sanji's ear twitched as he turned to see Carmen sitting in a throne-like chair with her two apprentices Leo and Jose standing beside her. "I'm so glad you decided to show Sanji, but the title of the East Blue's Number One is going to be mine. This'll be fun... I've never had any real competition before."

"Oh, my Carmen!" Sanji swooned as he knelt in front of Carmen and held her hand while gazing up at her with hearts in his eyes. "It's so good to see you again!" Sanji leaned in to kiss the hand he was holding but Carmen took offense.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" WONK! Carmen drew her frying pan and bashed Sanji on the head with it.

"Yeah! That's the firey passion I crave!" Sanji sighed, he had a red welt on his face where the pan had hit him.

Just then Nami, Usopp, and Y/N managed to push their way through the crowd and spotted a familiar face. "Hey, look over there! Sanji's here!" Nami realized.

"Hey! You're right!" Usopp realized as he spotted Sanji being paddled away from Carmen by her two assistants. "HEY! OVER HERE! SANJI!"

"SANJI!" Nami called out along with Usopp, drawing the cook's attention.

Sanji practically skipped over to the orange-haired navigator, "Nami! You came to watch me compete!"

"Heck no!" Nami replied, "I was just walking by."

"So what made you wanna compete in a cooking contest Sanji?" asked Usopp.

"Usopp, when did you guys get here?" questioned Sanji, seemingly just noticing Usopp.

"I'M THE ONE WHO YELLED OUT YOUR NAME FIRST, JERK!" Usopp shouted.

"Where'd Y/N go?" Nami wondered, the First Mate had disappeared while they were calling Sanji over.

"WHOOOO'S READY TO START THE COOOOKIIIIING!" Sapi called out, "JUST FOR FUN WE PICKED ONE OF YOU OUT OF THE CROWD TO JOIN OUR PANEL OF JUDGES! SAY HELLO TO SAM..." Sam was a twitchy middle-aged man, with balding black hair, and mustache, he was dressed in a suit. Sam's face was flushed and he looked a little drunk. "...WHO WAS JUST ON HIS WAY HOME TO SLEEP OFF THE REST OF HIS DAUGHTER'S WEDDING RECEPTION! YOU READY, SAM?"

"YEAH!" Sam cheered, before someone tapped him on the shoulder. Sam whirled around and saw a red-haired teen wearing a sunglasses and a black cowboy hat standing behind him.

"Hey buddy, your house is on fire," the teen told him.

Sam's eyes went wide, "OH NO!"

"Gimme your nametag, I'll take over for you," the nice teen offered, Sam handed over his nametag and ran home hoping to save his possessions from the fire. Y/N flashed a sly grin as he pinned the 'Sam' nametag onto the front of his shirt and took the vacated seat at the judge's table.

The rules of the contest were simple the ten competitors would face off in five matches. The winner of Match 1 would face the winner of Match 2. The winner of Match 4 would face the winner of Match 5. The winner of the 4 vs. 5 Match would face the winner of Match 3 to go onto the Finals and face the winner of the 1 vs. 2 Match. The winner of the Finals would be crowned Number One Cook in the East Blue and would receive the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna as a prize.

To win a match the two competitors had to present their dishes to the table of five judges (one happened to be a disguised pirate worth 20,000,000 berries) and they would score the cooks based on their dishes and their 'cooking flare'. The cook with the higher score would win the match and go on to the next round. A cook simply had to win all their matches to be crowned East Blue Champion.

"FIRST UP, FROM THE EASTERN MOST PART OF THE EAST BLUE... SHOO THE LIZARD!" A creepy looking guy wearing a white chef's hat, a red cooking uniform, and a blue bowtie with brown hair that made him look like a lizard took his place on the right side of the stage for Match 1. "FACING HIM, REPRESENTING OUR VERY OWN LOGUETOWN... BROCCOLI!" A pale man wearing a loose blue cooking uniform stood on the left side of the stage. On top of his head was his namesake... a green stick of broccoli that looked like a bun on top of his head. "READY... LET'S GO!" GONG! Sapi slammed a ladle into a wok to signify the start of the first match.

"What's wrong Sanji, do you really wanna be known as the Best Cooking the East Blue?" asked Usopp.

"No, don't be stupid," Sanji replied, "I'm just after one thing and that's the fish."

"A fish?" Usopp repeated as Sanji gestured to the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

"Wow, that looks like a nice fish," Nami commented.

"It sure is," Sanji agreed, "but the confusing part is trying to figure out exactly how I can get that fish to talk." Usopp and Nami looked confused while the contest got underway.

Y/N and the panel of judges awarded Match 1 to Broccoli while Sanji won Match 2. Five-Alarm Carman won Match 4. Sanji out-cooked Broccoli in the 1 vs. 2 Match while Carman won the 4 vs. 5 Match.

Y/N sat at the judges table sampling the dishes presented by Carmen and the winner of Match 3.

"Hey, how come you get to be a judge?" Usopp complained as he and Nami stood behind him.

"You're just jealous that you didn't think of it," Y/N replied, "try this..." Y/N shoved a fork-full of food into the marksman's mouth causing Usopp's eyes to go wide.

"Wow... that's good," Usopp commented.

"I know," Y/N agreed, "It's from that over-the-top dramatic chick up there, her cooking flare is rather eccentric but there's no denying that she's a decent cook." Y/N turned to the other judges at the table, "I'm going with Contestant Number 7... three and a half points for flare and four and a half for the food." The other judges nodded and totaled the scores. Carmen was declared the winner and was now going on to the Finals to face Contestant Number 4 Sanji.

"You're actually taking this seriously," Nami realized.

"Of course," Y/N answered, "I didn't join the judges table just to get free food. That's something you'd do... probably Luffy too."

"Then why are you sitting at the table?" Usopp wondered.

"I want my Nakama to win this thing," said Y/N, he stood up from the table, "Nami, sit there." Nami looked confused as she sat down in Y/N's vacated seat. "That weird lady cooks good food so we need to give our cook some added motivation."

With that Y/N went and intercepted Sanji who was on his way to the stage for the Final Match. "Oi, Sanji," Y/N called out to get Sanji's attention.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Look who's at the Judge's Table," Y/N pointed out.

Sanji turned and his eyes turned into hearts as the spotted Nami sitting in the fifth seat. "NAMI!" Sanji swooned, "I'LL COOK MY ABSOLUTE BEST TO PERPARE A SUPERB DISH FOR HER TO JUDGE!"

Y/N flashed a sly grin as Sanji practically ran onto the stage, "That's what I thought," he said as he walked back towards the Judge's Table.

"NOW... IT'S THE FINAL ROUND!" Sapi announced earning a loud cheer from the gathered crowd.

"Oh wow!" Usopp exclaimed, "everyone's getting really excited."

"I'll say," agreed Nami, as she sat in her spot at the judge's table.

"I'd say Sanji's even more excited," Y/N pointed out, Sanji still had hearts in his eyes as he stood on stage and waited for the Final Match to commence. "Now gimme my seat back."

"You gave it up, it's mine now!" Nami refused, she flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Alright, if that's the way you want it..." Y/N turned and tapped the judge next to Nami on the shoulder, "Hey Panchi, this girl's trying to steal my seat."

Nami's eyes wide, "He's lying!" she objected.

"What... no that's Sam," said Panchi the judge as the point to Y/N who was still wearing the 'Sam' nametag. "He's been sitting there judging the whole competition with us."

"I left to go to the bathroom before the Finals started," Y/N told him. "After all those other dishes I wanted to make some room for this one. When I came back this girl who I've never met before had taken my seat."

"Look girl, this table's for judges only," Panchi pointed out, "Give Sam his seat back so we can start the Finals. Don't ruin everyone else's good time."

"Yeah girl," Y/N added, "the crowd's excited, you wouldn't want to ruin their good mood by holding up the final match would you?"

Nami scowled and got out of the seat, Y/N flashed his sly grin and slid back into his chair and turned his attention to the competition oblivious of Nami glaring at the back of his head. While he hadn't tricked her out of money, he had out-lied her out of an opportunity for free five-star food. Nami – 1, Y/N – 1

Looking to take her anger out on someone, Nami turned to Usopp. Usopp went wide-eyed and threw his green backpack onto the ground then climbed into it along with his other purchases and zipped it up behind him. Nami glared at the bulging backpack but then grinned. Y/N may have tricked her this time but she was pleased to see that she wasn't losing her touch in regards to people who hadn't grown up swindling pirates. "This isn't over," Nami assured Y/N as she picked up her shopping bags and wandered off into the crowd.

Y/N grinned then lifted Usopp's backpack up and moved it so it was beside the table. The backpack unzipped and the sniper's long nose poked out as he peeked out of the opening and saw that he now had a front-row seat to watch the finals of the Cooking Contest. Sanji and Carmen were standing on the stage and it looked like the Final Match was about to start.

"With his instinctive skills and sense for food... we have in the finals... SANJI!" Sapi announced, "Facing him with her gorgeous presentation and culinary acumen... CARMEN! Who will be the winner of the glorious Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna! START YOUR COOKING!" GONG! Sapi rang the wok-gong and the final match of the Loguetown Cooking Contest was officially underway.

Carmen started off with an overabundance of flare and sang as she rinsed the carrots and then cackled madly as she peeled them and made the single orange peel fly up over her head and dance like a ribbon.

Carmen's assistants Leo and Jose waved red flags and attempted to distract Sanji who wasn't having any of it. Sanji effortlessly tossed around a fish and a knife as he cut out the bones and easily sliced it up into smaller pieces.

Carmen twirled around and did a dramatic pirouette before she filled a big pot with water. Sanji casually rinsed off his fish knife before he cracked a trio of eggs with only one hand and let them drip into a bowl. He produces a whisk and beat the eggs until they were all mixed together. Sanji left the egg bowl on the counter and his mind wandered while Carmen continued to use overly dramatic showmanship on her dish.

"I KNOW ITS FOR REAL!" nine-year-old Sanji exclaimed on board the Cruise Obit.

"You don't really believe that do you?" asked Cook 1. "It's silly!"

"What would a kid like you know anyway?" Cook 2 teased.

"I KNOW A LOT MORE THAN YOU DO, YOU BASTARD!" Sanji yelled.

"That'll be enough Sanji," Cook 1 scolded him. "Don't you see we're busy cooking? We don't have enough time for these silly games. Why don't you go set out the plates?"

Sanji silently minced an onion as he thought to himself and ignored Carmen who was dancing more than she was cooking, "I know that theoretically this is an impossibility... the North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue... they're separate seas that shouldn't be able to mix because of the Red Line Continent going North-to-South and the Grand Line Ocean Current running West-to-East. A place where you can find fish from all four seas SHOULD be impossible."

"BUT I KNOW IT EXISTS! I HAS TO!" nine-year-old Sanji exclaimed.

Sanji slid the chopped vegetables into a pot, "That's right... how else do you explain the West Blue Costal Fish and the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna?" Sanji poured wine into the pot and made sure to coat the vegetables. "That old geezer might not have just been telling stories... I have no choice... I have to look for it in the Grand Line."

"I don't care how long it takes!" young Sanji vowed, "I WILL find it!"

"The Legendary Sea... the All Blue!" FWOOOSH! Flames shot up out of the frying pan with the fish Sanji was tending to as he came out of his thoughts and once again concentrated on the Cooking Contest. Sanji shifted the pan a few times to stir the fish properly, then put the lid over it and dashed over to the pot with the vegetable stew in it and stirred it all with a ladle.

The two cooks finished the final preparation, Carmen dished out a pile of plates to put her food on while Sanji grabbed the handle of his frying pan and flung the fish cooking inside up into the air. He grabbed a pair of plates and caught the fish on the way down.

The two fully prepared meals looked amazing as they were set out on two tables and presented to the judges while the crowd cheered loudly "THE CONTESTANTS ARE DONE... SO NOW IT'S ALL IN THE HANDS OF THE JUDGES!"

After the judges (and the backpack) had all tried some of the two dishes and deliberated about their decision, Y/N stood up with a white sheet of paper to announce their totally unbiased decision.

"Alright..." Y/N called out, "the winner of this year's Cooking Championship is..."

"WAIT!" Carmen called out as she rose from her seat and got everyone's attention. Carmen walked over to Sanji and stood next to him, "I can't forgive myself... I can't believe I thought I could beat you! I watched you cook while you were young... you were driven even back then... They wouldn't let me in the kitchen like you and it made me so resentful. I've trained so hard for so many years... that's why I wanted to find you and show you what I had learned. But after all this time you've only gotten better... I don't know what made me think I could beat you. The truth is... you beat me... fair and square. You are the Number One Cook in the East Blue."

"Well... that makes my job easier," Y/N commented as he folded up the judge's decision and stuffed it into his pocket.

Sanji took his cigarette out of his mouth then stood up and smiled at Carmen, "Carmen! That's the greatest compliment anyone's ever given to me!" Sanji swooned as he leaned in to kiss a woman who clearly respected and appreciated his cooking talents but was also a firey and passionate cook herself. "I'm so happy you I could..."

"DON'T YOU KISS HER!" WONK! Leo came flying out from behind Carmen and smashed Sanji in the face with a frying pan.

THWAK! Sanji kicked Leo away and shouted after him, "WHY'D YOU DO THAT!"

Ignoring the sounds of her apprentice's crash landing, Carmen turned to Sanji, "I'm forfeiting this round. But be ready for the next time we meet. I won't lose to you again."

"Well if it's a challenge from you Carmen, I'll definitely accept," Sanji replied.

The crowd cheered at the feel-good ending to the competition while Sapi called out the result, "AND THE WINNER IS... SANJI!"

-x-

Some time later the four Straw Hat Pirates were walking through Loguetown.

"Wow, that was fun," commented Nami, who wasn't carrying anything, "I don't know why but I just love competitions!"

"HEY! WHY AM I STUCK CARRYING THIS THING?" Usopp complained, he was stuck carrying the entire Elephant Tuna.

"I told you, it's for strength training," Y/N answered as he walked casually alongside him with his hands in his pockets. "I trained by tying big rocks to my back. Luffy's grandpa did the same thing to him. You'll get stronger as you get used to the weight, that big fish is the first step on your Brave Warrior of the Sea Strength Training."

Usopp grumbled and continued to waddle down the street but stopped complaining, he was hunched over with the giant fish lying sideways along his shoulders.

"Wow, an actual Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna," Sanji thought to himself as he walked alongside Nami carrying her shopping bags and the big sack of clothing that she'd 'persuaded' him to carry for her. "I wonder what it tastes like? I'm gonna use the fins for stock, I know that... but what am I gonna do with the ears? I just can't wait to cook it!"

Nami suddenly stopped walking and stared up into the sky, "What's up Navigator?" asked Y/N.

"It's... the air," Nami told them. "It's going to rain."

"But it's so nice!" Usopp protested.

"There's not a single gray cloud in sight," Y/N pointed out.

"I'm sure of it," Nami assured them as they picked up their pace looking to avoid the oncoming storm.

-x-

In another part of Loguetown Luffy and Zoro was casually walking down a street when a strong wind blew by and sent Luffy's straw hat flying off in a distance.

"AAAHHH! MY HAT!" Luffy exclaimed as he immediately ran after his treasure. "WAIT!" Zoro was left standing there as Luffy chased his hat down a back alley and around a corner, "STOP HAT!"

"Uh... Luffy?" Zoro called out as he wandered down the same alley that Luffy had just run through. But unlike Luffy, he didn't take the turn and just kept going straight.

Luffy's hat finally landed on the ground in the middle of the town square, Luffy ran up to it and picked it up then looked up and noticed that he was FINALLY back at the Execution Scaffold. "I FOUND IT!" Luffy exclaimed. "Hah, here it goes!"

-x-

"We've found him!" a cloaked Cabajj reported to a cloaked Buggy around a corner in a dark alley, "This way!"

"Are you sure about that?" asked Buggy. Now they finally had a chance to enact their revenge on Straw Hat. "Let's go flashily!" Buggy ordered as he led his cloaked pirate crew through a back alley towards the square.

-x-

"He's there now?" questioned Smoker back at the Marine Base.

"Yes Captain," Lieutenant Devo answered, "We were watching the square like you ordered and he just showed up out of nowhere!"

"Perfect," said Smoker as he got up and walked out of the office, Devo followed closely behind him. "So... he finally showed up. It took him long enough."

-x-

Sanji's dream girl was walking down a street still wearing her white cowgirl hat and her heart covered pink cloak. She was carrying a giant iron mace on her shoulder and appeared to be heading towards the square just like Buggy and Smoker.

-x-

"WOOHOO!" Luffy cheered as he stood on the top of the execution platform and overlook the Loguetown Town Square. "So this is what the King of the Pirates saw when he died! Hah!" Luffy was oblivious to the trouble heading his way. A storm was coming, and he was going to be right in the middle of it.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!