It is Sanji's first time seeing Brook without his trademark tailcoat on. It is also the first time he witnesses a tilapia and asparagus dinner going through a digestive system that no longer exists.

The skeleton does not seem to have noticed the cook watching in fascinated revulsion. So Sanji coughs, never breaking his gaze with the gooey mass circling around where the musician's innards should be. Apparently, tilapia turns a lovely shade of puce after passing through the lower esophageal sphincter.

"Hello there, Sanji!" Empty sockets turn to stare at him. Realizing where the cook's line of sight leads, Brook hastily throws on his tailcoat and opens his mouth to speak.

Sanji beats him to it. "No - wait. How do you do that?" Instantly, he feels foolish for asking such a question. Yes, as if the skeleton is able to control his bodily functions at will, can turn them on and off with a flip of a mental switch.

...Or can he?

"You mean to say digesting?" Brook chortles, a comfortingly familiar 'Yohoho!' that sets the blond at ease. "I may not have organs, but the Revive-Revive Fruit allows me to consume and pass food just like ordinary humans."

"I see." And Sanji does see - or at least, has seen it in action. "So your body functions regularly, at least in response to food, as though you still have a stomach and intestines and all that?" He is no longer so much nauseated as curious.

"Yes, that's a good way to explain it." Brook eyes (skull joke - he has no eyes!) Sanji in what the blond thinks is a friendly manner, and nods for Sanji to sit down. Sanji does.

"But when you get hit, so long as your bones aren't damaged, you feel nothing?"

"That's right!" Brook laughs again. "A helpful advantage of being a skeleton, that."

"Huh." It is Sanji's turn to eye him, a thoughtful quirk to his mouth. "And can you taste my food?" He refers to it in the possessive; he is proud and readily defensive of his creations, as is the case with people of his profession. A reply in the negative, while not necessarily insulting, would still be disappointing to hear.

"Yes, in fact," Brook replies, pleased. "It came as a shock to me, actually, after being on that ship for so long. I don't need to eat, as you know, but it is a pleasure to savor the delicious flavors and unique textures of different foods."

Sanji is quiet for a moment, partly because his ego has been inflated by that word 'delicious', and partly because it takes a few moments to wrap his mind around the idea of eating as purely a hedonistic activity.

"That's...really cool," he murmurs, surprising himself by using such a 'Chopper-esque' term. But it is cool, and the pleased grin stretching across Brook's features makes it all the more worthwhile.

The excitement comes unbidden, and he suddenly finds himself running his mouth, babbling like a certain idiot. "Then - that means you don't have to worry about nutrition or high-calorie foods. And you can focus completely on the taste and texture of the dish, rather than how filling it is! This is great, fantastic." He is talking primarily to himself now, and his voice drops to a mutter.

The skeleton beside him looks at him curiously. He is about to voice a question when the cook exclaims suddenly.

"Hey!" Sanji's head jerks up. His finger jabs at the air in triumph. "Will you be my taster?"

Brook smiles, puzzled, but responds right away with an equally enthused, "Of course!" The two beam at each other for several seconds, and then the skeleton inquires, "What do you mean by that?"

Sanji leaps up. "Come on! I'll show you." He rushes toward the ship's kitchen, and Brook follows, bewildered but intrigued.

"Here." In the kitchen, Sanji has already set out several plates. It has been at least a week since they have restocked their pantry, and Brook once again admires the chef's talent for turning scraps into nothing less than a feast. It also occurs to him how envious Luffy would be if he were in the skeleton's position at the moment.

He turns his attention back to the blond, who has lapsed into mutters. "The quiche is especially rich, but that shouldn't be a problem for him...and even though he just ate, it's not like he can feel full, so that's not an issue either. I can't decide whether to add more salt to the onion soup, so it's great that I can get a second opinion on this. Same goes for the beef; is it too tough, or just tender enough? I don't want to make it soft to the point of being mushy..."

Sanji finally looks up, and gestures for the skeleton to sit down. "Please try the beef steak first."

Brook takes a seat gracefully. He picks up a fork and complies, spearing off a hunk of the meat and popping it into his mouth. He chews.

The cook waits for him to swallow, then bombards him with questions. "Is it too tender? No, right? It's probably too tough. And what about the flavor? I experimented a little with this one and used my own blend of spices. There's some rosemary, a pinch of saffron, and I forgot if it was basil or pepper that I added as well..."

"The texture is just right, neither tender nor tough. It seems as though you added basil, but you probably would have done better to add pepper instead." Brook is pleased with the questions. He knows that he has a place on the ship, in the crew; he is their musician and second swordsman. But it is a nice surprise to find that he can be even more useful, that he has talents that can be exploited in other ways.

Sanji is writing his answer down, nodding and committing the second opinion to memory. Seeing this, the skeleton puffs up with pride. He knows that cooking is important to the man, something that he wouldn't change for just anybody. It amazes him to think that his advice has such an impact.

At last Sanji looks up at Brook. He flashes him a smile, tucking the notepad away and hurrying back to the stove. "Great! Thanks. I'll fix that right away. Next, can you taste the quiche Lorraine? And the onion soup after that - if you're not too busy, of course," he amends hastily.

"Not at all," the musician replies, his mouth already full of the savory pastry.

And so a daily routine begins between the two of them, one which both men look forward to almost as much as dinnertime, when Sanji unveils the creations that Brook has helped perfect.