Tani sat on the deck, her legs dangling from between the railing. She didn't feel her fever anymore, but there was still a knock-knock in her brain. Nami ordered that she take it easy, and Tani wasn't ready to oppose the red head. The salty ocean breeze was doing wonders in relaxing her, she'd always been a fan of the sea, it just sucks she doesn't live near it.

"Hey Usopp! There's a rock we could practice the cannon with!" Luffy called out to Usopp, pointing at the rock that was coming into view. Usopp rushed over to Luffy, and looked at the massive rock that was protruding from the ocean depths. Tani looked towards the cannon that Luffy and Usopp were crowding around, then her gaze moved to the huge rock.

"I betcha, I can hit that rock from all the way over here," Usopp declared, Luffy's eyes sparkled with admiration towards the sniper. Tani smirked.

"Oi Usopp! If you hit the rock, I'll give you ten bucks!" she challenged. Usopp gave her a quizzical look.

"What's a buck?" Usopp asked, Luffy turned his attention to Tani as well. Tani looked back at them in confusion.

"Money... It's money, you know that thing you use to exchange for stuff,". Luffy and Usopp shared a look, before Usopp spoke up.

"Are you talking about berri?" he asked. Tani scrunched her expression.

"Why would you exchange fruit for other stuff? People can just grow berries." Tani responded. Both boys and Tani were more confused than they had been before this whole conversation.

Tani got up from her spot and walked over to the boys, shoving her hand into her bag to pull out her wallet, and showed off a $10 bill to them. Usopp grabbed it from her, looked at it for a moment, Luffy snatched it from Usopp and stared at it with awe.

"I've never seen a berri that looks like this before," Usopp stated, "Currency must be different for you," he concluded. Oh right, different worlds. Duh...

Tani sighed at the realization that she was pretty much broke in this world. She went to grab the bill from Luffy, but he didn't seem to want to give it back yet, his brain inspecting and processing what it was. Tani just let him have it, the bill was useless to her at the moment anyway.

"So... About that cannon?" she motioned between the rock and the cannon. Usopp snapped back to the cannon, flipping his goggles down to focus on the target. Luffy and Tani watched the marksman ready his shot, a drop of sweat trailed down his forehead... Usopp clicked a button.

The cannon roared, propelling a canon ball across the sea. Moments later, the ball hit the rock directly. destroying the thing in one shot, rubble rained into the sea. Small waves erupted and lapped back to hit the Merry.

Luffy laughed in excitement, praising Usopp for his masterful skills. Usopp soaked in the praise.

"It was nothing," Usopp brushed off, "I'm so amazing in my sniper skills, that I can hit the eye of a mouse from 1000ft away." he lied, not that Luffy could tell. Luffy clapped louder, begging Usopp to fire the cannon again.

Tani didn't participate in the praising. Instead, her gaze was locked on the space the rock once stood proud. She swore she'd heard something.

"What was that noise? What did you idiots do?" Nami came running into the deck. Tani ignored the commotion, her focus remaining on the broken rock.

"Bro... Bro..." she can hear a voice. She swears it... But that can't be right? She's way too far away. Plus nobody would have survived a blast like that-

"Oi Tani, look at this!" Luffy held up a poorly painted Jolly Roger. Tani didn't look his way, her eyes focusing on something else.

A small blot of brown started approaching the Merry, there's no way she was imagining that. It looked like... A small boat? Speeding it's way over to their location.

She needed to warn the others-

"Tani! Hey Tani look at this." Luffy grinned, holding up his picture. Tani turned to look at it.

"That looks cool," Tani praised, it looked like a white , wearing a popcorn bucket on its head. Still cool though... Didn't she need to-

Tani's thoughts were interrupted by the angry shouts of a man, who had just boarded the boat. He held a sword in one hand, his other pushing his sunglasses up his tear stained face.

"You dirty pirates!" the guy shouted. He pointed his sword at Luffy first, and began relentlessly attacking the captain. Ignoring Tani,who watched the fight in awe.

Luffy bounced and dodged the man's thoughtless swings. The captain jumped a fair distance away from the swordsman, widening his stance in anticipation of an attack. Luffy clasped his upper arm and rolled it, preparing to make the switch from defence to attack mode.

"Gum Gum!" Luffy shouted, he whipped his arm backwards. The limb stretched on, and on into the distance. Tani couldn't see his fist anymore.

The guy prepared his sword for a strike at the captain. He charges forward-

"Oi? Johnny, is that you?" Zoro called out to the stranger. The guy paused in his attack, looking up at the green haired swordsman.

"Big bro Zoro?" he cried. Turning his attention away from the fight with the straw hat pirate. Luffy didn't seem to notice the conversation though...

"Pistol!" he announced, his arm flying back at an incredibly fast speed. Aimed for the stranger who was too busy catching up with Zoro.

Tani didn't know why she moved to the man's defence. Maybe she felt bad that he wasn't paying attention? Or she was a dumbass. It didn't matter why she did it, but her legs sprang forward. Arms outstretched, palms slamming forcefully into the man's back. Knocking him out of Luffy's firing range

Leaving Tani's body in his place, because who thinks about the consequences of their actions before they do dumb shit like that?

Luffy's fist collided into Tani's left side, the force so strong it launched her off the deck. So much for taking it easy.

Tani braced herself for the ocean to consume her. Inches from the water's surface, she felt a familiar rubber limb snake around her abdomen. Luffy hauled her back into the deck, dropping her with a loud thwump.

The wind knocked out of Tani's lungs, she decided to just lay on the deck for a while. Just to give her brain the time it needed to process what the hell just happened. Luffy hovered over her for a moment in a panic, before Usopp and Nami pulled him away to give Tani some space to breathe.

"So what brings you here, Johnny?" Zoro asked casually, as if the whole 'Tani getting punched into the horizon thing' never happened.

"Big bro! You'll never believe it." Johnny sobbed. "Me and bro Yosaku we're resting on this rock, when a bunch of pirates decided to fire a cannonball at the rock and destroy it." he explained.

Whoops.

"Why were you idiots resting on a rock in the middle of nowhere?" Nami asked returning from the bathroom with a wet rag. She handed it to Tani, the girl accepted it with a quick thanks.

Tani sat up, and instantly felt the horrible pain blooming in her side from Luffy's punch. Both her hands clasped at her left as a hiss passed through her clenched teeth. That's gonna bruise really bad...

"Yosaku got really sick, we were trying to rest up before finding another island." Johnny explained. "He's dying," the man sobbed loudly. Nami rolled her eyes.

"Where is he? Is he still with you?" she asked. Johnny nodded. "Go grab him," she demanded. Johnny nodded, running to the other side of the boat. Zoro decided to follow behind.

While the guys collected Yosaku, Nami crouched down to check on the damage done to Tani. Feeling the ribs, nothing seemed to be out of place. She concluded that nothing was broken, and thus Tani would survive.

Yosaku was dragged into the deck, looking like he was on the brink of death. Nami examined the man's health, and with a sigh she turned to Luffy and Usopp

"There's a barrel of limes in the storage room, grab those for me," she commanded the boys. When they looked at her confused, "Hurry up! This guy's gonna die."

That snapped them into action. In a flurry of limbs, the boys rushed through the storage room door. Returning with two barrels of limes. Why were there so many limes?

Luffy and Usopp dropped the limes all over Yosaku, Nami shoved the boys away. Pulling out a small pocket knife, and cutting one of the fruits in half, squeezing the juice into the man's agape mouth.

Tani stared at the once sick man, fling himself upright and cheer as if he wasn't just dying, not even a nanosecond ago. Happily dancing shoulder by shoulder with Johnny, who was relieved to see his comrade in good health. Tani gave a soft smile at the display.

The shuffling of feet scuttling towards her grabbed her attention. Luffy looked over her with a frown, his head held low.

"Sorry for hitting you," he apologised. Tani waved her hand at him, a forgiving smile on her face.

"It's fine, you didn't know I was gonna be there. It's my own stupid fault for jumping in the way," she laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood, which worked since Luffy's frown lifted into a wide grin.

Tani pulled herself up off the ground, she wobbled a bit thanks to the lingering pain. Luckily Luffy's shoulder was close enough for her to grab for stability.

"Come to think of it," Nami spoke aloud, a hand curled around her chin in thought. "This ship would need a cook. If it wants to stand any chance of surviving the Grand-Line," she pondered to nobody in particular. Johnny stopped his dancing and turned to face her.

"A cook, you say?" he turned to Yosaku. "Bro Yosaku and I know a place you could go to recruit a cook," he chimed, Nami turned to face him.

"There's a restaurant that floats around the East blue. I've heard that the chefs there are tough as nails," he finished, crossing his arms.

"And their food is meant to be heavenly." Yosaku chimed in. "The chefs are top notch cooks. The head chef is rumoured to have been a legendary pirate captain in his prime." he added for good measure.

A restaurant on the sea? Now that's something you don't hear about everyday. Then again, back home there weren't real pirates anymore. There would be no need for a sea based restaurant, unless it was a publicity thing. Everyone would be all over that.

"Sounds perfect," Nami grinned. "You know where it is?" the navigator asked. The pair of bounty hunters nodded, Nami left with Johnny and Yosaku to start the trip to the floating restaurant.

Tani decided to go back to relaxing in the spot she claimed as her own. It would be a while before the Merry set sail for the floating restaurant. Might as well take a moment to breath.

To Tani's slight surprise, Luffy followed her. She plopped herself down onto the deck, legs hanging from between the railing as it had been before the arrival of Johnny and Yosaku. Luffy followed closely and plopped right beside her, his legs swinging.

He looked at the left side of Tani, a pout on his face. Tani had forgiven him, but he still felt bad for hurting his friend, even if she was an idiot for getting in the way. Tani turned to him, a comforting smile on her face. Her eyes returned to the sea.

"Where I live, the ocean is so far away. It takes a long time to get there." she spoke aloud. Luffy much like the night before, didn't look at her but she knew he was listening.

"Sometimes... My mum and I would plan a trip to the beach during summer break. We would spend hours swimming in the crystal clear water, and chase crabs around the beach," she spoke fondly of her memories.

Closing her eyes in relaxation, she leaned back until her back laid on the deck. Hands behind her head as the sunshine warmed her skin. A wave of nostalgia from when she would relax on the sandy beach and take a nap, washed over her.

The thump of the straw hat captain's back laying on the deck to her left, drew her away from that nostalgia. She turned her head to look at him, he looked so at home. A happiness washed over Tani at the sight of Luffy, her first real friend (excluding her mother of course).

Closing her eyes for the final time, the numb pain in her side, the lingering headache from the first day of her arrival, and the warm sunshine that blanketed her into a sense of comfort. All combined into the perfect recipe for an afternoon nap, which she happily fell into.

...

"Oi! Luffy" Zoro called out to Luffy. The boy in question, bounced to his feet, and ran towards his first mate.

"What's up?" Luffy grinned. Zoro pointed towards the galley.

"Nami says it'll take about half a day to get to the place," that was exciting! A new crew mate, and they'll be a chef!

"She also asked how Tani is holding up," the swordsman added, Luffy looked back at the napping girl.

"She's just taking a nap... I hit her pretty hard, but it was an accident." Luffy pouted again. Zoro leaned against the railing.

"She's tougher than she looks," Zoro commented, crossing his arms. Luffy nodded in agreement, "Think she'll actually stay on the crew?" the swordsman asked, Luffy hummed at the question.

"Of course she will! She said she would," Luffy huffed, as if Zoro had asked the most stupid question imaginable. "She's nakama now," Luffy grinned.

The swordsman knew that expression. It was the same one Luffy used on him, and everyone else, when he recruited them to his crazy crew.

"As long as she doesn't get in my way, I won't get in hers." Zoro waved. Turning away from Luffy to find his napping spot.

...

"Guys! Look I can see the ship, woah!" the shrill cheering of Luffy filled the ears of everyone on the ship.

Tani snorted awake at the loud cheering, a large yawn erupted from her mouth. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, what greeted her freshly woken gaze was something out of a dream... Or publicity stunt, but that's not as magical.

Floating ahead, was a longship. Round in shape, painted a pearly white with bright, soft colours to highlight the fish themed ship. Other ships of all shapes, sizes and design, docked around the restaurant. Tani couldn't believe her eyes, and she wasn't the only one.

"That's so cool! It looks like a weird fish!" Luffy cheered. Pointing at the restaurant with childish excitement.

"I wonder if the food tastes good," Zoro hummed. "We don't want some shitty cook, from a shitty restaurant." Everyone caught the hint. All eyes turned to Nami.

"Well... It would be wise to try out the food," she feigned innocence. "And we do have some money to spare." she grinned. "Let's test these chefs." she declared. The crew, plus their tagalongs, cheered.

"What is this filth, doing in my sights!" an annoyingly pompous voice called from far away. Sorry what?

The crew turned their attention to the ship that sailed beside them. It was much larger than their little Merry. Painted a bright white with navy blue highlights. The guy who called out to them, stood imposingly over them. Mr pink hair, and brass knuckles, sneered at them from his position.

"I'm the captain!" Usopp pointed at himself, the crew rolled their eyes. Except Luffy, who pushed the liar aside.

"I'm Luffy, and I'm gonna be king-" The man cut Luffy off, turning his attention to their tagalongs.

"Johnny and Yosaku? When did you morons become pirates?" the pink haired man barked at the bounty hunters.

"What? He hasn't," Yosaku protested.

"Sure seems like it to me," Pink bastard waved them off. Johnny and Yosaku ranted and raved at the man.

A stack of papers, thunked on the deck, Johnny had dropped them in his attempts at insulting the pink guy. Pages fluttered all over the deck, Nami lowered herself to pick up the pages closest to her. One page in particular held her attention for longer. Grip tightening on the discoloured page.

"Ugh, anyway." Pinky britches snapped. "It doesn't really matter what you two are doing." his attention shifted to the newly painted Jolly Roger, that flew freely with the wind.

"This pirate ship is ruining my mood," he scoffed, flicking his wrist at the boat.

"Sink it!" he commanded the many copy paste minions in white uniforms. All of which saluted and ran into position.

"Sink it?" Tani and Usopp panicked. Zoro shifted his hands, clasped around his sheathed swords. Beside the swordsman, Luffy tightened his hat and bore a fearless grin.

"Don't let them hit the ship," Luffy stretched his arms, grinning at the swordsman. Zoro smirked.

"And risk losing my napping spot? Don't make me laugh."

The uniformed men surrounded a cannon, lit the fuse and aimed right for the mast.

Tani and Usopp grabbed each other, wincing as the cannon burst to life. The cannon ball fired. Zoro lifted his swords, preparing to jump into action. When Luffy held out a hand, halting the swordsman.

Luffy jumped into action, his arms stretched out to create a net? A weird sorta net. His hands and feet looped around four points on the ship, with his torso protecting the mast.

The ball collided into his torso/net with a great force. A little too much force in fact. Luffy's left hand lost its grip on the railing, prompting his body to change directions.

The cannonball was still caught in his torso, pushed back into the rubbery skin. Luffy's body was gonna rebound the-

Luffy couldn't halt the cannonball any longer, his body bounced the metal ball away from the Merry.

... And into the roof of the Baratie instead.

Everyone on the Merry stared in horror, at the damage they hadn't intended to make. Luffy flopped back onto the deck. Pink haired bastard on the other hand, sailed away without a care in the world. Leaving the small pirate crew to handle the aftermath of his attack.

Nami looked at the smoking hole in the roof of the Baratie, and sighed.

"So much for a pleasant lunch."

...

Once the Merry docked, Luffy ran ahead of the crew. Intending to apologize for the hole in the roof.

Leaving the rest of the crew to do who knows what. Nami turned to the crew and beamed.

"Well... Why don't we eat?" she suggested, motioning to the entrance. Tani smiled as they all walked through the door's into the marvellous floor room. Tani had worked as a dish cleaner at a restaurant her mum worked at, sometimes they even asked her to wait tables when they were understaffed. It paid well enough for a teenager that only bought posters and snacks.

That restaurant couldn't hold a candle to this place. She'd never seen such a wonderful place like this. The owner must have poured heaps of love, and time into this establishment and it showed. Sea-green walls, off white floors. Tables spread around the circle room, while the mast stood in the centre.

"Tani?" Usopp clicked his fingers in front of her spaced out eyes. She snapped back to reality, sheepishly rubbing her neck. Whoops.

A man in a chef's uniform sent the crew to a table, which left Tani confused.

"Where's all the waiting staff?" she pondered aloud, Nami turned her gaze around and observed the same.

"Best not to question it," Nami waved it off. "Johnny said this place was known for its chefs that fight back." right, that's one of the reasons they decided to scout out a chef from this place.

Zoro scoffed, his gaze landing on the pink haired jerk from earlier. The man was laughing, and enjoying himself with his lady friend. The swordsman's hands drifted to the hilt of his swords.

Tani placed a hand on his shoulder, Zoro looked at her. Shaking her head in disapproval.

"He's not worth the trouble." Zoro scowled at that, Tani continued, "Not yet at least." she smiled. Zoro's scowl softened, his grip on Wado's hilt loosened.

"You better not be starting shit," Nami glared. Tani waved her off.

"Zoro's just admiring the decor, it's almost the same green as his hair."

"Oi!" Tani walked behind Zoro, and pushed him towards their table. He sat down with a grumpy pout, Tani sat beside him. Nami was to her left, and Usopp was right across from her. There weren't any spaces for Luffy.

"Water, cups and cutlery are over there," the chef pointed. "Here are your menus, was there anything else you needed?" the group shook their heads, with that, the chef left.

Tani read through the menu, all the food items had ridiculously fancy names. She didn't have anything against that, but if she had to pick between chicken tenders, or concombre a la something. She's going with the tenders.

The desert section was just as complicated, excluding the cheapest item in the section. A fruit parfait, made using fruits Tani didn't know, but she was a sucker for fruits and sweets. The desert was familiar enough, so why the hell not.

"Yo, Nami." Tani waved. "Mind ordering this for me?"she pointed to the parfait.

"Sure? Why don't you order it yourself?"

"I'm gonna grab some water, and cups. In case I'm not back in time to order. Fruit parfait." she hopped up from her seat, Nami shrugged. At least this wouldn't cost her too much.

Tani grabbed the four glasses, stacking them in a tower. Happy to see them polished and clean, everything was in top condition.

A loud crash echoed through the restaurant. A silence taking over the patrons, attention being drawn to the...

"Oh, of course he's one of those customers." Tani groaned to herself.

It was the pink asshole, a wine glass had shattered on the ground. Leaving red stains on the crisp dinner cloth.

"Stop mocking me!" Pinky yelled, obviously pissed at the man before him.

Standing in front of him, was a man with golden blonde hair, dressed in a black suit. A tray held under his arms, which were shaking with barely hidden rage. Smoke wisped from his cigarette, which would most definitely have been a health code violation, in any other eating establishment.

"Do you know who I am?" the man raised his brass knuckled fist and brought it down on the table. The food went flying, as did the lady friend who tried to calm him down. The waiter crouched over the spilled soup.

"I'm Lieutenant Fullbody of the Marines!" he pounded his fist into the ground. The blonde guy puffed a cloud of smoke, staring at the spilled soup with a pained expression.

"This soup took three days and nights to prepare," he lifted his head. "It was perfectly fine. You could have just taken the fly out..." his stance shifted. Tani inched closer, this was gonna be fun to watch.

"My entire day has been ruined by your restaurant's atrocious service," the bastard berated. "I was told this place was the best of the best. Yet here I am, disappointed by this filth." the waiter remained silent. His shoulders shook with annoyance.

"I'll shut that place down for-"

The blonde had enough of this man's whining. Tani didn't get the chance to see one of his legs lift high into the air, slamming into the pink man's face. She did see the guy get launched across the room though, so that's awesome. A smug grin spread on her cheeks.

"I don't care about your name," the blonde snuffed his cigarette on the table beside him. "You wasted food. We here at the Baratie don't take kindly to assholes like you." he huffed. Tani had to hold back a snicker. The look on Full-body was priceless! He looked terrified, so much for that confidence.

"What's all this commotion?"

A pair of cooks came out of the kitchen and made their way over to the blonde. A large man with Popeye body proportions, and a smaller guy with glasses and a chefs hat.

The larger of the two walked towards the blonde, rolling up his sleeve... And smacking him upside the head.

"Oi! What's your problem, bastard." the blonde snarled. Popeye ignored him, moving with glasses to apprehend and throw Full-body, out of the restaurant.

The spectacle was over. Satisfied, Tani turned her attention back to her crew. Balancing the massive tower of glasses in one hand, and the jug of water in the other.

"What was that?" Usopp questioned. From this angle, they must have missed the full-body beat down. Tani smiled.

"Justice," she answered. The crew looked at her with a curious expression. The sound of the blonde and his coworkers bickering could still be heard.

The doors to the restaurant slammed open, the floor room fell silent once again. A single man crawled through the door, clothes ragged and stained from the ocean.

"F-f-food... Please... Food," the man rasped, begging from the entrance of the restaurant. The blonde and his coworkers stopped snapping at each other. The Popeye guy walked over to the starved man.

"How much berri you got?" he loomed over the starved man.

"Pl-please... I'm star-"

"No Berri, no service." Popeye grabbed the starved man by the collar of his shirt, and tossed him outside again. Glasses snickered beside his coworker.

"What a bum," they mocked, turning away from the door. Heading into the kitchen. The patrons returned to their meals.

The blonde didn't move, letting his gaze rest on the door. He lingered for just a moment, turning away to head back into the kitchen. Long legs, striding towards the kitchen door.

"They really are a rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Nami commented. The table agreed.

"I like that blonde guy. He doesn't take anyone's shit," Tani stated. Plus he'd proven his strength, and that's what the crew was looking for.

The crew talked among themselves, talking about past adventures such as their encounter with the captain of the black cat pirates, a man named Kuro. He'd pretended to be a butler named Claude, working for the richest family on the island.

"He wanted to kill my best friend," Usopp growled. That friend in question was the last remaining family member of the household, killing her, meant he would inherit all her money.

Kaya was the one who gave the straw hats their ship.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Or am I in the presence of two absolutely stunning angels?" Tani turned her attention to the very same blonde, who had kicked Fullbody's ass. He was looking between both Nami and herself, balancing full plates all along his arms.

"What a lucky soul I am today," he complimented, suave in his presentation. This guy was a lady killer, in every sense of the term.

"For the lovely angel to my left," he swooped down, placing an orange desert in front of Nami. The woman clapped her hands together, excitement on her face.

"And you," he turned his attention to Tani. The girl's face glowed with hints of red. "The darling angel to my right." He placed the colourful parfait, gently in front of Tani. Her eyes dazzled at the sight.

Fruits she'd never seen before, filled the bottom and centre layers of the treat, the cream whipped to perfection, a red syrup drizzled around the top. The cake layers looked soft and fluffy. Tani couldn't believe what she was looking at, this was the food of kings!

"This looks amazing," she beamed, the man looked at her with great pride. Tani grabbed her spoon, hesitating to take a spoonful. She didn't want to ruin this masterpiece. It looked so pretty.

It would be a waste if she didn't, and she'd seen how the blonde reacted last time, food was wasted. Pushing her hesitation down, she scooped a hearty spoonful of the cream and fruits onto her spoon. Shoving the contents into her mouth.

Tani's mouth burst with flavour, sweet, tangy, refreshing. A mix of textures that left her wanting more. Once she started, she couldn't stop. Spoonful after spoonful, her mouth begged for more.

Then the cup was empty...

"... I'll have whatever she just had," Usopp pointed at the empty cup. The blonde who'd served them, laughed brightly.

"Who made this?" Tani asked him. "Because that is... I can't even describe it. That's the greatest thing to have ever touched my taste buds!" the look in the guys single, blue eye. Sparkled under the praise.

"The parfait today was provided by yours truly," he gave a full body bow. "I thank you for your kind words, my dear. Such praise for a wonderful lady, means the world to me." he cooed, lifting himself from the bow.

Holy shit, they needed to hire this guy. It had to be him. There's no way in hell that this guy couldn't be the one.

"This is really good." Nami sounded shocked. "Johnny wasn't kidding," she continued to eat the desert.

"Baratie is the finest establishment in all the Blues." the blonde swelled with pride. "We've poured our hearts and souls into maintaining a business that provides food for anyone that enters those doors."

"Anyone?" Zoro spoke up. Still chewing on the fried rice he'd ordered. The blonde looked at Zoro with confidence.

"Anyone." and that was final. Zoro shrugged, and continued to spoon the rice into his mouth.

"The bill sure will be expensive," Nami sighed. Twirling her fork on top of the orange peels of her meal. Tani almost rolled her eyes, this seemed like a Nami thing to do.

"Oh, my lovely goddess. There's no need to worry. Ladies eat for free." he informed. Tani highly doubted that, but if she got a free meal out of it, she wouldn't complain.

A pair of hands found the shoulders of Tani, causing her to squeak. She turned to find it was only Luffy staring at all the food they ordered without him.

"What," Luffy whined at the sight of the filled table. "You guys ordered lunch without me!" he flopped over Tani. The blonde swiftly kicked the captain, launching him into the ground.

"You idiot! Don't drape yourself on a lady!" the blonde growled. The table fell silent, staring at their captain. Luffy jumped back to his feet, his grumpy pout instantly lifted at the sight of the blonde.

"Oh hey! Guys this is Sanji," Luffy looped an arm around the blonde's shoulders."He's gonna be our chef!" Luffy declared. Tani clasped her hands together with joy. Had a God actually answered her prayers-

Sanji slammed his leg into Luffy again. How the limb managed to lift that high? Only heaven will know.

"I already told you," sanji groaned. "I'm not joining your pirate crew," saying his final piece, he turned away from the table. "Now if you'll excuse me. I have work to do, as do you. Chore boy," Sanji walked away from the table... Only to come running back.

"Farewell my sweet, heavenly angels! You'll live forever in my dreams. Till we meet again," he cooed, then turned away again to get back to work.

Luffy scanned the table, his grabby hands ready to take food from everyone's plates. Nobody was ready to react, when he snatched Usopp's last fried fish skewer. The sniper looked at his plate solemnly.

"Luffy! Get your own!" Nami shouted as he stretched his arms to grab at her plate. The captain didn't even attempt to grab Zoro's meal, the swordsman held his fork with the intent to kill.

"Oi, chore boy." an angry shout called from the kitchen doors. Tani turned her attention to a man with the greatest braided beard she had ever witnessed. The guy looked like a Viking, and he had a peg leg!

"Quit harassing the customers, and get back to work," the man grumbled. The crew looked at Luffy in question, only now noticing the apron around his waist.

"Chore boy? That's what curly called you. Why are you working here?" Zoro questioned, Luffy grinned.

"I gotta work off the big hole I put in the roof," he turned back to the bearded man, "He says it's for a whole year, but I can't do that," The man huffed.

"You broke it, you pay for it. That's a year's wages right there," the man crossed his arms with a grumpy expression.

"But Luffy didn't mean it," Tani chimed in. "Some asshole shot a cannonball at us," the man looked at her, his eyes pierced into her soul.

"You break it, you pay for it." he reaffirmed.

Tani thought to herself for a moment. She has experience in the field of hospitality, and while she didn't know Luffy well enough. She could tell he was far more destructive, than a place like this could afford.

That in mind. She raised her hand, clearing her throat to grab the man's attention.

"How about I swap places with Luffy," she suggested. He looked at her with a sceptical look.

"We don't hire women here, brat." he stated stubbornly. Now that she thought about it, not a single female worker had presented herself. Tani stood firm.

"I have experience as a waitress, and dishwasher." she continued to plead her case. "Luffy here, would certainly be more of a liability. Do you really want to be spending more money replacing the dishes he breaks?"

The man looked at her, intimidation in his expression. Tani refused to back down. The man closed his eyes, hand rubbing his temple.

"The brat has broken more than seven plates, and eaten every dish he's taken to a table." he sighed. Opening his eyes again, he crossed his arms again.

"Alright brat. I'll give you a week. If you can't handle it, I'm making chore boy take his job back." the chef declared.

The crew gawked at Tani.

"Wait a second... If Tani's swapping places with Luffy." Usopp started.

"That means." Nami looked up at the girl.

"Tani can't stay here for a year either!" Luffy protested. Pushing Tani back into her seat, which she'd tried to get out of. "She's on my crew. I can't have her leaving-"

"It's her, you, or someone pays for my roof, brat." the older chef grumbled. Luffy puffed his chest out, irritation on his face. Tani lifted a hand to his shoulder, giving the captain a soft expression.

"It'll be fine." she assured. "This place seems stable enough, and I'll learn about the world while I'm here." Luffy still looked annoyed.

"But, you're on my crew," emphasis on the 'my'. "I can't have this old guy taking you away for a year. That's way too long." Luffy pouted. Tani shrugged.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Tani grinned. That seemed to lighten Luffy's mood, just a bit.

"Hurry up brat, I don't have all day." the chef huffed. Tani got up off her chair.

"I'll see you guys later." she waved, turning away from the crew. Following the head chef through the kitchen doors. All heads turned towards the pair.

Everyone was a burly man, covered in scars, or tattoos, sometimes both. They looked like your stereo typical prisoners, gangsters, and hooligan. Tani stood out like a sore thumb.

"Aight boys, listen up!" Zeff shouted, the kitchen went quiet. All eyes shifted between Tani and Zeff.

"Chore boy has been replaced with this brat." he announced, "If you have a dish, you hand it to her. If you have dishes, give them to her." he pointed to the back of the room. Hanging on some hooks were aprons. "Grab an apron, and get to work." he commanded, then turned away. Leaving the room.

Tani stood there awkwardly as the men continued staring at her like she was an alien... She was, but they didn't know that.

"Um... Hi," she waved. The men looked among each other. "I'm just gonna get to work now. I hope we get along," she sounded so lame. The men all shrugged, losing interest in the novelty of a woman in the kitchen.

"Oi! Patty. Your egg rolls look like shi-" Sanji's voice called from the door behind Tani. He stopped mid sentence, freezing at the sight of Tani.

"Hey Sanji," she greeted.

"My dear, what are you doing here?" he pushed the door to the kitchen open. "Not that I don't adore your presence, but this is no place for a customer," Tani motioned to the aprons behind her.

"I replaced Luffy, so I'll be working here for the next year." she stated.

Sanji looked shocked. Zeff had never hired a woman, not once. That was one of the golden rules, behind not hitting women, and always treating women with kindness.

"Oi! Girly, can you run this to table 14!" Popeye called out, holding up three plates.

"On it, sir." Tani ran towards the aprons, quickly tying one around her waist. She collected the plates, balancing them awkwardly on her arms. Sanji pushed the door open for her as she left the kitchen area. Worry clear on his face.

Now... Which one was table 14?

She looked around the room but couldn't see any table numbers. She wanted to slap herself in the forehead, but she didn't want to coat her face in mash potatoes.

Sanji looked out the window on the kitchen door, and sure enough. She had no idea where the tables were. Honestly! The old geezer was losing his mind, throwing a darling young lady to the wolves. Sanji pushed the door open.

"Tani dearest," she turned her attention to Sanji.

"Thank god," she sighed with relief, "I have no idea how the table number system works. Which one is 14?" she sheepishly laughed.

Sanji felt his cheeks warm at the heavenly sound of her voice.

"Allow me to take them," he offered his hands. Tani shook her head.

"If I'm working here, I need to do the work... It's kinda in the name," she snickered. Sanji sighed, not because he was upset with her, but he hated making a lady work.

"That table over there." he directed her towards a table close to a window. "Once you come back, I'll teach you the rest of the Baratie's layout," he promised. Tani grinned.

"Thanks a bunch," she turned away from the blonde, hurrying to deliver the meals in her hands.

Sanji looked at her with admiration. Such a strong woman, to take on the burden of that shitty chore boy. If Sanji ever had the chance, he would strangle the little-

"Sanji! Get your ass back in the kitchen!" Patty shouted, the blonde puffed a cloud of smoke from his cigarette.

Sanji took one last look at Tani, the girl had struck up a conversation with the people at table 14. The blonde smiled.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a girl around. Snuffing his cigarette, he walked back into the kitchen.

There were hungry customers, and he didn't plan on letting anyone starve.