Chapter Text
Sanji had the biggest headache.
The old man at the rundown shop promised him new recipes and ingredients if he visited this faraway place, only he could only go there with the power of his Portal-Portal Devil Fruit.
Sanji sighed. He should have stopped listening to him when he talked about a “faraway place” that he hadn’t heard about.
After the crew made it to Laugh Tale, they all parted ways, each to fulfill their own dreams. Jinbei returned to the lead the fishmen in their negotiations with the humans, Brook reunited with Laboon and is now on tour again with the whale acting as a mascot, Franky went back to Water Seven to help his brother in the shipyard, Robin is going around islands teaching history to the younger generation, Chopper has built his clinic where he can both treat patients and work on developing new cures, Usopp went back to Syrup village to spend his life with Kaya, Zoro is wandering around, beating up challengers that come at him for the title of the Greatest Swordsman, and Luffy is doing what he does best: going on adventures and making new friends.
As for Nami, well, she almost completed her map of the world. And Sanji knows that she’s been through these parts because they’re all keeping in touch. Every once in a while, Nami calls to update the crew on her progress.
So Sanji should have known that this “faraway place” was some sort of scam. But he was desperate. The New Baratie has been running for a while now and its popularity hasn’t decreased in the slightest since its opening.
But Sanji had an itch.
His cooking skills have stagnated since opening the restaurant. Back when he was traveling with the crew he’d always learn new recipes and discover new ingredients in every island they landed at. Now it feels like he’s stuck doing the same dishes over and over again and he can’t help but feel that he could still do more, be more.
So now he’s here, visiting markets in places he hasn’t been to before in hopes of getting a taste of something new, leaving the New Baratie in his workers hands.
He looks around once again. The portal dropped him in what’s probably the dirtiest city he’s ever been to. There’s trash littering everywhere and every wall he sees has either vomit or blood on it. Just breathing the air makes him feel dirty.
The clouds blanketing the sky don’t help alleviate the feeling of uneasiness the place brings. It’s night out but it sure doesn’t feel like the nights he shared with his crew. There’re very few people shuffling around and those he sees quickly scutter away from eyesight. The streets are empty but his Haki tells him more. There are people in the buildings all around him watching him from behind close curtains. There are a lot of families here, some living underground, some arguing, some even fighting with their fists. There are a couple kids beating up a dog in the alleyway behind the building in front, right outside of Sanji’s eyesight.
Sanji frowns, this place really is dirty.
He begins to walk aimlessly, searching for a way to get information. Not only does he have no idea where he’s landed, but the stupid old man also didn’t tell him how to get back.
After a few minutes, Sanji finds a small bar on the corner of a street that seemed still open. There are a few patrons inside sitting here and there and they all turn to look at him when he enters, their gaze mistrustful. Sanji’s not an idiot; he knows his pristine suit stands out here. This certainly isn’t the richest part of town.
Unfortunately for them, Sanji’s used to being on the wrong side of things.
“Can I help you?” The bartender asks. Sanji’s sitting at a far away stool; no one else can hear them over the usual noise in the bar.
“I need information. You mind telling me the name of this city? Also if we’re still in the Grand Line.” Sanji sighs, he doubts the old man at the dingy store could send him so far, but better to ask.
“Grand Line? What are you talking about? You’re in Gotham, boy. This your first time here?”
Sanji furrows his eyebrows. “Do you not know about the Grand Line? Okay, then, which sea are we in? East Blue maybe?” He could deal with East Blue. He’d pass by to say hi to Usopp and the old man at the Baratie before heading back.
The man’s lips quirk up in an almost-laugh. He cleans a couple glasses and places them on the shelf before turning to Sanji. “Listen here, don’t know where you came from or how you came here. Honestly, I don’t care, I have a bar to run. But I’ll give you this.” The man rummages a few seconds behind the counter and pulls out a pamphlet that he hands to a confused Sanji. “This is a rough map of Gotham. There’s no sea nearby, but there’s the Gotham River if you want. We’re on the east side of the United States.” He casts a glance at Sanji. “You know what that is?”
He's met with a silent look of confusion. The man sighs, but as soon as he opens his mouth to explain he’s cut off by Sanji. “Listen. I get it. I’m somewhere really far away and with no obvious way back. The map’ll help, thanks.” Sanji gets up and leaves a few berries on the counter. He’s turning to leave when the bartender grabs his hand.
“Wait!” Sanji turns around to see the man examining the money. “What currency is this?”
Sanji furrows his eyebrows. “You don’t use berries? Those are pretty universal.” Some islands they’d come across had different currencies but everyone knew berries.
The man looks at him weirdly. “So you don’t know where you are and you have no money to go around. What are you planning to do now?”
Sanji purses his lips. He’s not wrong. Most he could do is ask around for more information and hope to find someone generous enough to offer him a couch for the night.
The bartender looks at him for a moment. “I could get you a job.” Sanji snaps his head up.
“What?”
The man set down the towel he was holding and places his elbows on the counter, getting closer to Sanji. “This bar is part of a very powerful man’s network. It’s a fairly simple way to get a job, and you can climb up the ladders if you do the work. Can you fight?”
Sanji stared at the man for a good minute, his lips pulled tight.
“I can fight, but I don’t work for just anyone.” The man’s eyebrows slightly lifted, but Sanji continued. “Also, I’d rather cook. You know a restaurant around here that’s looking for a chef?”
“You can cook for the boss; I hear he has a pretty refined palette.” Sanji squints his eyes at the man in front of him.
The man’s smile turns into an almost-sneer. “Listen, this is Penguin territory. If you come here asking for help, don’t expect me to hand it to you free.” Someone else appears on the other end of the bar, clearly waiting for the bartender’s services. The man leans in and whispers. “Besides, it’s genuinely a good way to get around for someone as lost as you are right now.” The man’s quickly eyes drag up and down Sanji’s whole attire before turning and addressing the other patron.
Sanji sits at the barstool, contemplating. The annoying part of this whole thing is that the guy’s right, Sanji is indeed standing out like a sore thumb in this neighbourhood right now. And he truly has no realistic means to get around. He’s going to get jumped sooner or later if he keeps walking around aimlessly.
Sanji lights up a smoke and takes a big huff.
Days and nights spend in a cage with a helmet around his head. 85 days sitting on a rock. Endless fights against monsters each more powerful than the last.
Well, Sanji’s been through worse, honestly. And he’s pretty confident he can take on any idiots that try to get him.
… I hear he has a pretty refined palette.
Sanji grits his teeth around his cigarette. He’s not an idiot. This Penguin guy is probably a high rate criminal in these parts, and not the kind of criminals he and the crew were. Sanji doesn’t want to work for someone who doesn’t deserve it.
But he also came here for one reason.
“I don’t see why you’re beating yourself up over this. It’s not that tough of a decision to make.” The bartender was back, now cleaning his counter as he sent an amused look to Sanji. “You want to work clean? Sure. Go ahead. But you don’t have any papers to prove your identity, do you?” To Sanji’s silence, he pursued. “Honestly, Penguin’s one of the best rogues to work for, speaking as a regular henchman. Two-Face’ll decide your fate on the flip of a coin, Killer Croc will turn you into a meal if he gets hungry, Ivy’ll kill you just for looking at her girlfriend the wrong way and the Joker’s straight up crazy. There are a few more options but they each come with their little quirks.”
“You said he had a refined palette.” That stopped the man’s rant who turned to look at Sanji, surprised. Sanji was serious, though. “You said he had a refined palette. You think he has the resources to fund a good kitchen?”
The bartender let out a boisterous laughter at that comment. People sitting around turned their heads at the sound, but soon resumed their own private conversations.
Sanji furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s so funny? I told you I’m a chef.”
The man still had a huge grin on your face. “No, I get it, really. It’s just, I thought you were scared of the Bats or something. Turns out you were just thinking about the kitchen. Man, you’re so obviously a stranger it’s honestly a bit concerning. You should know Gotham doesn’t take well to outsiders.” Sanji stared at the man weirdly. That answer just raised so many more questions. “Don’t worry about the funding. He’s also one of the richest rogues in Gotham.”
“The Bats?”
The man let out a huff, putting the cloth back in its place and turning to lean against the bar, crossing his arms. “Of course, silly me. You just arrived; you don’t know about the Bats.” This time he leant forward. “Tell you what, go sit at that table in the corner, I’m finishing up soon anyway. I’ll tell you all you need to know to survive around here, even lend you a bed upstairs for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll go and sign you up. How about that?”
Sanji takes a drag out of his cigarette and gets up. He honestly got a lot more out of this deal than he ever could have asked. We helped other before for less.
Sanji sits down at the table in a chair overlooking the entire bar. Seeing this, the bartender smiles approvingly, nods and goes back to his work.