Chapter 5: Sanji

Phew. SO, after a LONG time of brainstorming and thinking, I've finally thought of a proper plot and where I'm going with this story. The summary may be changing due to this, but the story will still follow what the current summary says! Just a few extra pieces.

Zoro and Luffy finally made to the nearby town - any thoughts of the previous happenings gone. It was busy as people chatted loudly and looked from stall to stall, buying food and objects that they may need or want.

On Luffy's request, they immediately went into the closest restaurant they could find.

"How on earth do you eat that much?" Zoro questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

"Hn?" Luffy mumbled, looking up for the first time since he set his eyes on the food. He swallowed a large amount of chicken before licking his lips. "That's a good question." Immediately, he began stuffing his face again.

"That's not an answer!" the gunner shouted. Too loudly, actually, as the people around them at different tables glanced warily over at them and muttered to the people who sat with them.

"Isn't that…?"

"Oh God, it is!"

"Shhhh! Shhh! Not too loud!"

"Roronoa Zoro…!"

"Stop! Shhhh!"

Zoro glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name. As he did so, the other customers gasped and looked away, sweating profoundly.

"Tch." Zoro turned back to face Luffy, who had looked up again and was now chewing slower on his food, seemingly more interested on what was going on around them.

"Wow, Zoro. You're so popular!" a gleam of light shone in Luffy's eyes, obviously impressed.

Zoro sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "As expected of you, Luffy. You totally missed the point."

Through the gap of the open door leading to the kitchen, neither of them acknowledged the hard stare that was being sent in their direction.

"Those two… weren't they…?" the person staring mused in their thoughts for a while. "Oh, well. I doubt I'll be seeing them again, anyway." He closed the door with a small thud and returned inside the kitchen.

"So, where do we plan on going next?" Luffy spoke between swallows and the chewing of food.

Zoro rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm… dunno." He stated dryly before picking up his own fork and eating.

Luffy didn't seem too bothered by the lack of an answer as he dropped the subject to devour even more food (much to Zoro's amazement. "Seriously? Are you ever going to stop?").

The cowboy gave a content sigh and leaned back into his chair, patting his belly. "That was great~!"

Zoro grunted in agreement. "Not bad."

A waiter soon came up to them to take away their plates. However…

'Well, so much for not seeing them again…'

"Oh?" Luffy looked up in time to see the waiter at their table. Said waiter was male and had blonde hair. His left eye was covered with his bangs, thus making it unseen. Luffy stared for a bit… "Ah! You!" he pointed a finger at the man's face.

Said man seemed a little surprised. 'What? He knows me?'

Zoro was utterly confused.

"You're that guy that rode passed us on the way here!"

"You remember that?!" the gunner was shocked, to say the least. The man had only ridden passed them once –at a fast pace, no less – and yet Luffy had remembered his face.

"Yep! But only because he was carrying plates and stuff."

Of course.

Zoro honestly felt like banging his head on the table at his companion's stupidness. Of course Luffy was going to remember a guy who was carrying plates! Of course he was! Plates mean food. Food means filling your stomach. Duh!

"So, what are you doing here?" the cowboy questioned the waiter.

"What do you think, idiot? I work here." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at scene of the restaurant. "Duh."

"Haha, whoops!" Laughing, Luffy didn't noticed the pissed off look that the waiter passed him. "What's your name?"

The blond raised an elegant eyebrow at the sudden question. "What's it matter to you?"

"Don't bother arguing." Zoro cut in. "Just answer the question, or otherwise you'll never hear the end of it."

The other man was cautious about giving his name out to random strangers: you might never know who you were actually talking to. They could be killers, drug dealers, or even criminals for God sake!

"Well?" Luffy was expecting an answer, practically leaning over the table to hear it.

Pursing his lips in thought, the waiter debated in his mind on what to do.

'It would be best not to tell them…Since I don't know whether or not I can trust them…' he glanced over at the green haired man. 'Especially him…'

Smirking, he raise his head higher and looked down at the two seated. "Heh. What makes you think I would tell you two snobs my name-"

"Sanji! Stop your chitter chattering and get back to work before I come over there and kick your ass!"

Zoro couldn't help but let out a snigger as he watch the waiter lower his head in annoyance, obviously gritting his teeth. "Oh~, 'Sanji' is it? Well, nice to meet you." He grinned mockingly and laughed a little harder when the man looked up at him with anger and humiliation shown on his face.

"Why, you-!"

"Sanji! What a cool name!" the other two looked over at Luffy, who looked as cheerful as usual, not noticing the venom behind the two's words and their obvious new hatred for each other. "So, does your shift end at three o'clock?"

"BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! Three- Three o'clock!" Zoro officially lost it and couldn't hold his giggles any longer.

"Huh?" Luffy, on the other hand, looked utterly confused. "Zoro, are you sick?" But before Luffy could worry any more, he received a hard whack to his head. "Ouch!" He turned upward to see Sanji fuming with so much anger that his face and gone red.

"Why you little-! Son of a-! Devious little-! Absolute idiot!" he couldn't even seem to form words in his rage.

"What?" he turned to his companion -who was still laughing. "What? I don't get it! Tell me already! What did I say that was so funny!" he pouted when he didn't receive an answer.

All the while, Zoro still laughed.

I know, I know, short. But like I said before, I finally know what I'm doing!

Oh, and for those who didn't understand the last part, Sanji or san-ji basically translates to three o'clock.